First Light
by bitsaheavenandhell
Summary: Renesmee and Jacob's love story
1. Who Am I? That's Right I'm A Freak

Hello to all those lovely people reading First Light.

This is a **re-post! ** When I was new to this lovely forum I didn't know how to up-load my stories properly, since this was completed before I up-loaded. I had a lot of reviews asking for me to split it up to make it easier to read so that is what I'm attempting to do. I'm sorry for the confusion but I hope you enjoy reading First Light. Also I own nothing but the plot.

Cherie

Xxx

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><p>Book<p>

One

Renesmee

Chapter One

Who am I? That's right I'm a freak.

It's hard enough being eighteen with all that being eighteen brings but I am finding being it even harder. For starters I'm not your normal average eighteen year old. Actually my entire family is anything but normal. You see I am a vampire hybrid, a Halfling if you want to call me that. My family has moved around a lot and we had lived in ten different towns since my birth, which was only five years ago. My mother was only pregnant with me for like two months –conception to delivery- my Grandpa, his name is Carlisle, is a doctor and he said that he thinks my accelerated growth was due to the fact that I have twenty-five chromosomal pairs, just another reason to feel like a freak. I am only one of a handful of creatures like me, some would say that this was a call for celebration, that individuality was a good thing; I say that it makes life so much more difficult. I'm not like my family and I'm not like any other humans, I am an oddity, I have a heartbeat, can go out in the sunlight and even eat 'human' food but I am incredibly fast, have excellent coordination, and I can drink blood. Our family joke is that we are 'vegetarian' because we don't drink human blood, unless it was donated. I have never actually felt the need to hunt for human blood, even though the smell is tempting, I think because that wasn't appropriate within our family circle.

My vampire family consists of my parents, my Grandparents Carlisle and Esme, two Aunts', Rose and Alice, and two Uncles', Emmett and Jasper. Some of my family have special 'gifts' that go above and beyond normal vampiric traits. My father can read thoughts as people think them, my Mother is a shield- she can protect her mind from the onslaughts of others, hers is the only mind my father can't read something that he had never encountered before; Alice can see the future- but she can't see Werewolves or Halflings, and Jasper has another quite unique gift- he can alter the moods of others and they have no control over it. Momma once said that Daddy had told her that Grandpa Carlisle and Grandma Esme had special gifts too, he had told her that Carlisle's gift was overwhelming self control and Esme's was her compassion and loving nature; Emmett has superior strength and Rose has amazing beauty but I have a special ability that no-one else in my family has; I can tell people what I think or feel without saying anything I just have to lay my hand on a piece of their bare skin. Be it a hand or the side of the face. As I said, a freak, at first I had to work hard to protect my friends from my 'gift' but as I grew I was able to learn to control it. This was something I grasped quickly but in times where my emotions are heightened I still find it slightly difficult to rein in.

My family portray a humanised life to others, a life that if it was put under a microscope and compared to other families I think we would probably pass as an ordinary, everyday family; besides the fact that we are immortal and we drink blood to survive. Carlisle works in the local hospital (and I am constantly amazed that he was able to withstand the tempting smell of blood while there) Esme worked from home selling things she made over the internet, the others Rose, Em, Alice and Jazz lived here when they were home but at the moment they were away, Alice and Jasper were visiting friends and Rose and Emmett were off seeing far off places or something like that. But my home was actually in a house on the same land with my Dad and Mom, who were attending the local collage as part of the pretence we had established for this town. I also have a human family which consists of Charlie and Sue, my other set of grandparents but it was safer for them to rarely see us but we talk and email all the time. There is also someone else who makes up my family, an integral part, and that is my boyfriend Jacob, no boyfriend is too weak a word, Jake is my soul-mate, the one person on this entire planet that I don't have to be anything but myself with but even that is complicated.

Jake is a werewolf, well not in a Hollywood- human by day creature by night- kind of way; more of a seven foot tall mountain of a human, with gorgeous dark drown (almost black) eyes, hair that is the colour of a raven's wing and skin like russet coloured silk, shape-shifter kind of way. He is Native American and his tribe have been protecting a part of Washington State known as Forks for forever from the vampire population of the world, see what I mean about complicated. Vampires and werewolves are sworn enemies but Jake and my mother had been very close friends when she was human and that couldn't be destroyed when she became a vampire; plus there is a weird thing that werewolves do when they find their soul-mates, it's called imprinting and the minute Jake saw me that was it. It is against tribe rules to kill a member of the packs imprintee. Also the pack has joined forces with my family on more than one occasion to save the people of Forks from the terrors that only some of them can't imagine. Jake also lives with us.

We have recently moved to North Bend, which is located not far from Seattle, Washington. It's the last semester of the school year and I am starting my fourth High School in three years and it was here that I am going to be spending the boring hours of the day. I knew that I was only feeling this way because Jake wasn't attending the same school, he looked too old for High School but just old enough for college. I had made friends quickly enough at the schools that I had attended, more quickly than the rest of my family anyway but it was at this school that my parents had chosen to not attend with me and concentrate on other things. It had made Jake nervous to know that I would be alone for eight hours a day but he knew from experience that I could take care of myself. I may not be have the full strength of a vampire but I am a hell of a lot stronger than any normal human, not to mention my skin had the same impenetrability that other vampire skin had, as far as we knew, we hadn't actually tested it out. As I entered my first class of the day I realised that, even though I had done it several times before, being the new student sucked. I couldn't tell them about me, not really anyway, and what I did tell them was not necessarily a lie but an amalgamation of the truth. I mentally checked myself; my coppery coloured curls were neat and tidy, I let my deep brown eyes flicker down my body making sure that my smallish frame was not exposed in a way that could be embarrassing, thankfully everything was in order and I turned my attention back to my current situation whispering my way through the introduction that Mr Philips, my English teacher, forced me to do and then hurried with as much human speed as possible to an empty desk beside a tall willowy red head, she had a friendly smile and didn't stare.

I was stunned when after that extremely boring English lesson she hung back to wait for me. I had better luck with making friends than the rest of my family, something to do with my looks, my smell, and the air of vulnerability that I apparently had (according to my father and Carlisle) I figured it was because I didn't scare the life out of people. I was still sceptical about making what appeared to be a friend this quickly; I was hesitant in starting a conversation with her just in case she hadn't actually been waiting for me, what if she was just waiting for me to leave the classroom so she could talk privately with the teacher. So I kind of walked away from her, she stuck out her hand and snagged my arm, instinct kicked in and I stopped so as to not pull her arm from its socket. I turned hesitantly and waited for her to speak, this close she had that translucent skin that normally accompanied hair the colour of hers and her eyes were a startlingly vivid green. She smiled widely and I noticed that her perfect smile was marred by the slight chip in her front tooth. "Hi, my name is Frina; sorry I didn't do the intro thing earlier it's just that King Philips doesn't allow talking in his classroom unless you are answering a question." I smiled and quickly shook her outstretched hand "Hey I'm Renesmee." I saw her eyebrows rise at my name, a reaction I was used to so I laughed readily and said "Don't worry you can call me Ness, I only get Renesmee when I am in big trouble." I was relieved when a small laugh bubbled from her and she said "Crazy parents, hey. Why couldn't they just call as Mary, or Elizabeth or even Jane?" I smiled in agreement even as the name Jane sent a cold shiver of fear sliding down my spine. The last Jane I had met had tried to kill my entire family so the name struck a fear response within me that would seem silly to the vivacious girl beside me.

We had walked halfway towards our next class, which happened to be chemistry, when we were accosted by a tall well-built boy who appeared to be our age. I shot a side-ways glance at Frina to make sure that she knew this boy who was jumping around us like an over-grown puppy. She rolled her eyes and said "Harrison meet Renesmee, Renesmee this is Harrison Douglas the third and he is a major pain in my butt." I laughed at the obvious affection that this statement was said with and I smiled up at the bounding boy. "Harry quit that, you're gonna make me puke if you keep bouncing around like that." Frina threw one of her books at the bundle of energy that was Harrison Douglas the third but it didn't prevent him from following us to our next class. I noticed that Frina kept shooting Harry covetous glances and I knew straight away that Frina felt a deeper affection for Harrison than Harrison knew.

We separated as we neared our assigned desks and I wasn't at all surprised to see that Harrison's seat was next to Frina's and that I was suddenly seated next to another stranger. I smiled kindly at the boy who was to be my lab partner. He was of a slight build with a short light brown buzz cut. His eyes were a pale grey and he had a wide mouth with strong facial features. I held out my hand and said "Hey, my name is Ness. What's yours?" He smiled and I wasn't really surprised to see the glint of metal that indicated braces as he answered "Neil, my name is Neil Prescott. Pleased to meet you, are you up to date with our syllabus?" I smiled again and nodded, which was all we managed before our teacher walked in. I immediately liked the plump curly headed blonde chemistry teacher, my opinion of her rose even further when she didn't ask me to stand up and introduce myself.

Chemistry, turned out to be a greatly taught subject and the teacher, Ms Driver, was energetic and made the learning process even more fun. Once the class had ended, and I had packed my belongings into my bag, I waved goodbye to Neil, who was hurrying towards the door, and walked over to the desk that Frina and Harry occupied. They were waiting for me with differing smiles; Frina's was one of amusement while Harry's was one of disbelief. I looked at them both with a slightly confused look furrowing my brow, neither one of them actually said anything and I could feel my levels of annoyance rising, I sucked in a calming breath before saying "What? What are you both smiling at?" Harry laughed and shook his head before saying "Nothing much, I'm surprised that Neil could actually speak to you without falling apart; I don't think that I have ever seen him look at a girl, let alone carry on a conversation with one." Frina sniggered and I felt myself flush with embarrassment. I chewed the inside of my lower lip and closed my eyes before dropping my head. I looked over at Frina and she nudged Harrison before saying "Stop it Harry! I'm sure Ness is just being kind." I nodded and said "I happen to think that Neil is a nice guy." Harry sniggered and said "Sure he is a nice guy, if you're looking for help with school work but if you're looking for a boyfriend I'm sure there are better candidates for that position." His tone left no doubt to the fact that he thought that he would be able to fill that position quite well. I dragged in a stressed out breath and said "There isn't any position to be filled, because I already have a boyfriend." They shot one another a look that I had no trouble identifying, it was one that said that they plainly didn't believe me. I was tempted to dig out my cell from the bottom of my bag and call Jacob to come up to the school to meet them but I really wanted to try and avoid having my two worlds colliding. Instead I shrugged my bag onto my shoulder and gestured towards the door, the gathered their stuff and lead the way towards the cafeteria. My first lunch at this school was exactly the same as lunch at every other school I had been to and I was sure that if I hadn't had Frina and Harrison to sit with I would probably have felt comfortable enough to try and sit with someone else's group. The group that Frina and Harrison crossed the floor and sat with was a rather large group and I was surprised that every person there looked up and smiled in greeting at the duo I was following. When they spotted me they paused slightly before smiling and introducing themselves one by one. I felt relaxed and comfortable so the lunch hour passed more quickly than I actually wanted it to, I felt acute disappointment when the bell sounded signalling the end of the only time a kid feels free at school.

The rest of my first day crawled past, I was actually ahead in all of my classes which I was thankful about because it meant that I could go home and spend the time with Jacob instead of cramming to catch up. When the last bell sounded I lingered as long as possible, packing my things up slowly so that Frina and Harrison would have left before I had gotten my act together, I knew that Jacob would be waiting for me and I really didn't want to try and explain Jake at this point in our friendship. I hadn't counted on them wanting to make sure that the last couple of hours I had spent in this new school had passed without incident. I actually felt myself cringe when I saw them standing a few feet from the classroom door and I knew by their expressions that I hadn't been quick enough in smoothing the grimace from my face before they saw me. The hurried over and both touched a arm, kind of herding me towards the parking lot, asking me questions at the same time, causing their words to jumble together in a mess of syllables. I shook my head and laughed which stopped both of their chatter and I said softly "If either of you want me to answer your questions I need to be able to understand the things you're asking." Frina laughed and asked "So are you like way behind? I saw the frown on your face. If you need the help I'm sure Grace would be more than happy to help." Seeing the slight pinching around my eyes, mainly at the thought of having a tutor who would want to come to my home and want to meet my family and then talk about them to the others made me uncomfortable, and misunderstanding the cause Harry spoke "You met Grace, she was sitting next to Frina at lunch." I saw the flash of a slight Asian girl with a flowing mane of silky black hair that hung below her waist and eyes that flashed with keen intelligence in my minds' eye and cringed inwardly at the idea of inviting this exceptionally bright girl into a house full of secrets; so I hurriedly spoke up, interrupting their plans of asking Grace to tutor me "No! I don't need tutoring; actually I had just completed this research at my last school so I am actually ahead. I was thinking about other things when I saw the pair of you. Thank you for your concern but it isn't something that either of you could help with." Seeing their faces relax I smiled and said "Let's go before they lock us in here and we have to spend more time here than we are already forced to do." I forced out a small laugh and they copied it after a split second. I wasn't oblivious to the looks they shot one another or the ones they shot me when they thought I wasn't looking so I just chose to ignore it.

We made it outside where only a handful of cars were left in the once overflowing car park. I was grateful to see that for my first day Jake had made a conscious effort to remain inconspicuous and he had driven my pale blue Mini-Cooper convertible to pick me up, instead of the sleek black Harley Davison CVO Fat Boy motorcycle he normally preferred. I was even more relieved that Carlisle had insisted on the darkest tint that was legally available being put on the windows, mainly because it hid Jacob from the probing stares of my new friends. As we walked further into the parking lot I walked towards my car and they followed. As we neared the car the music from inside could be heard clearly. Harry stared quizzically at me saying "Ness, there is someone inside your car." I laughed and said "Yeah its Jake, my boyfriend." The two high-schoolers nodded slowly and waved absently as they continued slowly towards the green utility parked a dozen spaces down. I waved as I opened the passenger door and slid inside the relative warmth of the compact car. I had barely closed the door before I was gathered close and wrapped in the large arms of my love. "How was your day sweetheart?" I sighed and snuggled closer to his broad chest. "It went better than I expected but you know I never enjoy the interrogation phase of the first day, there was an upside though." I smiled and nodded towards the disappearing utility; Jake pulled back and smiled warmly down at me encouraging me to continue. "They were so nice to me Jake, welcomed me into their group without any questions that I couldn't answer." Jake grinned and said "I am so glad that you had a good day Nessie. I was worried about you." I laughed and kissed his jaw, saying "Jake you should know better than to worry about me, I can take care of myself."

A cloud flittered across his dark eyes and a frown creased the skin between his eyes. He leant closer and rested his forehead against mine. I breathed in the scent that was uniquely his and I asked softly "Jake what's the matter?" He shook his head before saying "I may not have to worry about you Nessie but I do and always will. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you and I find it hard knowing you are alone every day for hours." I chuckled, wrapping my arms tightly around his upper body "I understand how hard it is for you Jake but in all seriousness I am in no danger, especially not from the people I met today." I sat back further into my seat and said "I think we better go home before my parents send out a search party for us." I watched Jake from the corner of my eye, the frown that marred his perfect forehead hadn't left but he chuckled and twisted the key in the ignition; bring the engine to purring life. We drove the entire way home in comfortable silence, which was helped by the fact that I had rested my hand in his and had let the tight control on my 'gift' slide, showing him the events of the day. I could tell that something bothered him but with Jake you couldn't push, if he wanted to tell you something he had to work up to it. So I waited, it wasn't until we had almost reached our turn off that he said "So, Harrison, he seems like a nice kid." I nodded and waited for him to finish but he didn't and I was left wondering where he had been headed. But before I could answer we had stopped and he was getting out of the drivers' seat. I pushed my thoughts from my mind in the vein attempt that my father wouldn't hear them.


	2. You Can Choose Your Friends

__**I only own the plot, thanks for reading :)**

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><p>CHAPTER TWO<p>

You can choose your friends but not your family.

We had barely disembarked before I was swept into the hard embraces of my parents. Neither one said anything but I could tell that they had been just as worried about me as Jacob had been. Momma was the first to break the silence. "Renesmee, sweetheart, I am so glad you're home. I had to restrain your father from going to the school several times to check on you." Her musical voice was only over-shadowed by the crystalline chuckle that sounded from deep inside her chest. I cocked my head to the side and thought _'Daddy';_ he had the good grace to look embarrassed so I laughed, letting him know I was only kidding and he said "What kind of a father would I be if I wasn't worried about my only child on her first day at a new school?" I chuckled again and buried my head against his marble chest saying "You wouldn't be my Daddy if you didn't worry about everything. That's why we love you." Jake laughed and whatever he thought caused Daddy to narrow his golden eyes and growl, low in his chest, which caused Jake to laugh even more but before I could worry too much Mom stepped in and said "That's enough." Putting a hand on Daddy's chest she concentrated heavily. I had only seen her do this a couple of times and each time a look of absolute wonder and pure love crossed over my father's face, he nodded slowly as if he had forgotten why he was annoyed in the first place and turned to me saying "I am so glad your first day went so well and your friends seem like nice kids." I smiled; most kids would be annoyed that their parents took such interest in their lives; I was pleased that they loved me enough to be interested and I simply nodded and said "It looks promising." Then whirling suddenly both my parents were gone, escaping into the dense forest that bordered our property.

As they darted through the forest edge and were quickly lost within its thick embrace, I was embraced in a more physical sense as Jacob wrapped his arms around my middle and whispered in my ear "Are you hungry?" up until that point I hadn't thought about my hunger; I found thinking about it made the hunger fiercer, so I chose not to think about it. Jake laughed softly as my stomach rumbled audibly. I grinned sheepishly and said "Give me thirty seconds to put my stuff away and I'll be back. No running off within out me, even though you know that even with a head start I'd still kick your butt." I danced away from his seeking hands and giggled as I raced inside. Since we were away from prying eyes I was free to be me and I could move at the speed that was denied to me throughout the day. I sped through the house and once in the sanctity of my room I stripped bare and threw on a faded pair of blue jeans that rode low on my slim hips and a thinly worn smock top in sunflower yellow, I dug out a pair of slip on shoes and was back outside to Jacob within the thirty seconds I promised him. Except Jacob wasn't there, in his place stood a mountain sized russet brown wolf, its razor sharp teeth showing in what could have been described as a smile and a coughing bark sounded in the quiet clearing. I grinned and ran my fingers through his thick fur, stretching my face closer to his I kissed the fuzzy spot between his eyes and said "Love you Jake." A soft purring noise, like that of a satisfied cat, was my only reply.

Hunting was always fun with Jake and I wasn't in my typical competitive frame of mind so I allowed him to beat me in finding a kill quicker. We went back home and neither of us were surprised to find the house in darkness; obviously my parents had decided to hunt further away than we had. I left Jake to pick a movie while I went and showered, I felt gritty from my day at school and the hunt. I luxuriated under the hot steady beat of the shower and washed my hair in the time I took. Once I got out of the shower I took the time to dry my thick hair and braid its length into some semblance of order, by the time I made it back downstairs Jacob had also showered, had popped some popcorn and was waiting for me to pick something for us to watch. I perused the extensive DVD collection my parents had amassed and finally settled on one of my favourites, I opened the cover and was surprised to find it empty. I turned my head to look at Jake when he laughed and said "What's so funny Jake?" he shook his head and flicked his wrist, a clicking noise sounded and suddenly the dimly lit room was flooded in light as the opening scene of the movie played. He chuckled again and said "I knew that you'd pick this one so I figured I'd save time and just put it in. I don't know what I'd have done if you had've decided to watch something else." I grinned and crossed the room to snuggle up next to him on the large sofa he had chosen to occupy. I sighed and drew in deep breaths, his luscious smell invading my every sense and an overpowering need assailed me. I have always loved Jake, one of my very first memories was of loving Jacob, but this physical need was something that had manifested quite recently and I was extremely eager to pursue it. The way I figured, an empty house was the best time to do it.

I waited until I knew his interest had been snagged by the movie before I made my move. I lifted the corner of his shirt; which was nothing unusual because if I wanted to 'speak' to him, I rarely verbalised it and this showed when he barely moved at the contact, but instead of laying my palm against his skin and letting my thoughts flow I ran it further up his torso and rubbed it across his hard pectorals. This definitely got his attention, even though his pose hadn't changed his entire body had gone rigidly still and I knew from experience that he had stopped breathing. I leaned closed and whispered "Breathe Jake otherwise you're gonna pass out on me and that is the last thing I want." The only sign that he had heard me was the sound of his breath rushing out in a ragged sigh and a soft inhalation. I rose up on my knees and straddled his lap; I leant in and kissed his mouth softly. I wasn't really sure how to proceed and I didn't want to spook him. He didn't respond to that first soft kiss so I moved closer and kissed him a little harder and it was like a switch had flipped; he grabbed my waist and dragged me closer to his hard body, his mouth become the aggressor and I moaned in need. I sighed in longing when he shifted our position and I found myself lying on the sofa with him over me kissing me possessively. This was what I had wanted and I was excited to know that I hadn't had to push to get it. Neither one of us was in control and it showed when a voice sounded from inside the front door we jolted apart as if shocked and we had enough time to sit up on the sofa before Alice and Jasper entered the room. Disbelief raged through me; how had we gotten so carried away that neither of us heard my family coming or heard them entering the house for that matter. I shot a Jake a quick look but he had slid a mask over his features and I couldn't tell what he was thinking so I turned my attention back to our interrupters.

I had barely three seconds to prepare myself from the second we heard them enter the house to the moment they walked into the room we occupied but somehow I managed to rearrange my features into a welcoming smile, I was happy to see them because they had been away visiting Peter and Charlotte who were old friends of Jaspers' and it had been months but I was annoyed that they had chosen that moment to surprise us with a visit. As they breezed into the room I wasn't surprised to see the concerned look on Jazz's face but this was the only indication that either of them knew that they had interrupted something. I leapt from the couch and hugged them both hard, though Alice more so than Jasper. I loved Jazz, he was fabulous, but his pupils always dilated with awareness of my blood and I knew that it made him uncomfortable. I stepped back from them and collided with the solid wall of hot muscle that was Jacob. I sucked in a ragged breath as desire raced through my veins. I closed my eyes briefly to try and collect my thoughts, when I opened them I had some control over myself and I grinned at them saying "I am so glad that you're back, we've missed you guys so much. Did you have fun? How are Charlotte and Peter?" I moved slightly away from Jake so I could concentrate on the answers to my questions. Jazz raised one perfect blonde eyebrow before saying "They are the same as ever, their stint in France has made them more aristocratic than ever. Have we missed anything?" His soft drawl was accompanied by a wave of control and my desire and, by the look that Jazz was shooting Jake and the way Jake kept his eyes downcast, Jake's desires cooled enough for us to entertain our guests.

I wasn't surprised to hear my parents enter the house barely ten seconds later. Mom came flying through the door and crashed into Alice; hugging her fiercely. Daddy crossed the room more sedately and shook Jaspers' hand before pulling him into a hug. I always got a comforting feeling from watching my family interact, it made me feel safe. I smiled as the conversation became more detailed but I didn't miss the silent conversation going on between Alice and Daddy, and I was especially concerned when I saw the small frown crease the skin between his eyebrows but I dismissed it because I knew that if it was overly important that they would share it with the rest of us. I felt a small flash of resentment, over the interruption to Jake and my plans, burn its way into my bloodstream but I quickly quashed it. I was stunned when a vibrating sound came from behind me, I turned in time to see Jake place his cell phone against his ear and say "Hey, nah I'm not busy." He shot me a smile and walked out of the door. I levelled a quizzical glance on my father and he just shrugged.

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><p><strong>Please review :)<strong>

**Cherie **

**xxx**


	3. Destined Love

**I only own the plot nothing Twilighty :)**

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><p>CHAPTER THREE<p>

Destined Love

I awoke the next morning to complete silence, there was no reassuring deep rumble of Jacob snoring and there were no whispers of movement that signalled my parents were at home. As I lay beneath the light deep purple blanket that covered my bed I thought over the night before. Jake had eventually came back inside but he had been distracted and he had avoided my touch with great care. I asked, loudly, my questions over and over again, inside my head, and even the answers I gave myself were unsatisfactory. My inner turmoil hadn't gone un-noticed but Daddy had refrained on commenting or offering me the slightest insight into what had drawn Jake into his own head. Sighing I pushed back my covers and swung my feet over the edge of my bed, nothing was going to be solved by laying in bed worrying about it; not to mention that I had school and if I was going to hunt for my breakfast before I left than I had better get a move on.

Throwing on a faded pair of blue jeans and a bright blue singlet I searched, and finally located, my thin black cardigan before slipping my feet into my shoes and bounding noiselessly down the stairs and out the front door. Still there was no sign of any of my family, a shiver of fear slid down my spine but I dismissed it as nonsense and focused my attention on finding my breakfast. I hunted quickly and quietly, finding a herd of deer grazing beside a small pond. I leapt through the underbrush and before their senses could alert them I had picked off the one I wanted, bringing it down with little effort. As I sank my teeth into the vein in its neck I felt disappointed in hunting by myself, it was something Jacob and I did together, but as the hot flow of blood coursed into my mouth I shifted my concentration to my breakfast.

Once I was finished I raced back to the house in hopes that Jake, my Mom, or Daddy would be there; they weren't but Jasper was. I shifted guiltily as I thought about why he would be there and I hesitated briefly before slowing my walk and ambling towards him. He smiled tensely as he caught my mood and said quietly "Nessie I would like to talk to you if that's okay." I drew in a deep breath and asked "What's this about Jazz?" I watched in amazement as he shifted, actually moved from one foot to the other, looking increasingly uncomfortable but he never broke eye contact and I was surprised to see the depth of his emotions shining through the deep amber of his eyes. He cleared his throat and drawled softly "I know what Alice and I interrupted yesterday and I can't say that I'm sorry. What were you thinking? Your parents would kill Jacob if they found out." I felt my annoyance grow and I knew he felt it too but I didn't really care, I was tired of people telling me what it was that I should think or monitoring the way I was feeling. I gritted my teeth and spoke as calmly as I could "I wasn't thinking, I am eighteen, I don't think. I was feeling and thanks to you guys nothing happened so what difference does it make?" He smiled, actually more a bearing of his teeth, before saying "It makes a big difference. I don't want you to get hurt and this could lead to you getting hurt. We love you dearly and if Jacob was any sort of decent human being than he would have treated you better."

I stood staring, open mouthed, at Jasper while he spoke. I hadn't heard him say so much in my entire life and the shock of it held my tongue immobile, but only for a second, I scoffed at him and said "Who said that it was Jake's idea? Actually it was mine and for your information, I think that Jake is the best kind of person; he is loving and caring and would do anything to stop someone from hurting me. Thanks for your concern but honestly it's misplaced." I made a move to sweep past him but he moved so quickly that even my eyes missed the movement; he wrapped both his large pale hands around my upper arms and held me still. I raised one dark eyebrow and stared pointedly down at his hands, he didn't remove them but he loosened his hold before saying softly "I understand what you're saying but can you honestly say that you are ready for that big a step?" I saw the love shining in his eyes and I sighed deeply before saying "I don't know but I won't ever find out unless I'm allowed to make mistakes and judge future events on those mistakes." I stood on tip toe and kissed his cheek, he let go of my arms and stepped out of my way. I moved passed him into the house, closing the door behind me; I leant my back against the solid wood and let my head fall backwards, it landed with a small thunk, I closed my eyes and considered what he had said. I knew he meant well and I did appreciate the fact that he loved me enough to actually come to me with his concerns but it was driving me crazy to not be able to make the same stupid decisions that other teenagers took for granted.

Shifting away from the door I shook my head to clear my dark thoughts; I was achieving nothing by dreaming of another life and I still had to get ready for school, so I danced up the stairs and into my bathroom where I stripped down and hopped into the shower. I let the pounding spray beat down on the tense muscles in my shoulders, for a tenth of the time I actually wanted it to, before stepping out and towelling myself dry. After putting on my underwear I stared into the mirror above the basin and looked for any visible signs of the changes I could feel within my body; there weren't any and somehow this didn't help to settle my jangled nerves. I looked exactly like I had yesterday when I woke up, a normal eighteen year old.

Sighing in abject frustration I reefed the door to my room open and stormed into my bedroom, where I was stopped short by the sight of Jacob lounging on my bed, my feet froze in place and I felt my body jerk to a stop. My eyes sought his only to find that his eyes weren't looking at my face. I had forgotten that I hadn't put any clothes on, I stood before him in the scraps of cotton and lace the made up my undergarments, but as embarrassed as I was I made no move to cover myself and he made no effort to move his gaze elsewhere. I watched in confusion as he got to his feet and walked slowly towards me, the look on his face wasn't one I had ever seen before and I didn't know what to make of it, I held my breath as he neared me and losing my nerve I dropped my gaze to stare at my feet. I felt a flush of embarrassment heat my skin as time seemed to stretch indefinitely.

Jake stopped in front of me and his warm breath fanned the curtain of hair hiding my face from his eyes "Breathe Renesmee." He whispered; reaching an unsteady hand out, he raised my face so I had nowhere to look besides at him. Obligingly I drew in a ragged breath, which seemed to cause him pain, he sucked in a sharp breath and I finally lifted my eyes to look into his dark gaze. What I saw caused my heart to thud loudly and unevenly, drawing a small smile onto his gorgeous mouth, the stark desire on his face was impossible to miss. I reached out my hand to touch him but my seeking hand found nothing but empty air, he had moved quickly out of my reach. I felt hurt and I couldn't stop it from flashing across my face or stop it from trembling on my voice as I asked "What's the matter Jake?" He shook his head and turned away from me saying "Nothing is the matter. You should get dressed so I can drop you at school. Your parents have gone to school already." He kept his gaze averted as he walked from my room leaving me standing there in my underwear with my hurt and disappointment for company.

I dressed distractedly and it took me several attempts, I couldn't help but replay what had happened with Jacob and how weird he had been since Jasper and Alice's interruption. I hated this odd behaviour, there had never been anything but honesty and openness between us and now all of a sudden there was awkwardness and discomfort. A horrible thought occurred to me as I fumbled into my clothes; maybe it wasn't so weird, the way he was acting, maybe there was a very good reason for his reaction maybe he didn't find me attractive and he wasn't sure how to tell me. My stomach dropped to my toes and I felt my eyes fill with unshed tears as I thought over every time we had had privacy, I was always the one to initiate contact and he was always the one to stop it. 'Stop it' I muttered to myself, I knew these thoughts were getting me nowhere and that the only person I could ask was Jacob so I resolved myself to find out what was going on but I knew that I had to figure out a way to do it without pushing Jacob into retreating further. I grabbed my book bag and walked sedately down stairs where he stood by the open door waiting for me.

The drive to school was tense, fraught with unspoken questions; the only sound that filled the small cabin of the car was the throbbing music that flowed from the speakers. I snuck glances at Jake out of the corner of my eye, watching him as he guided the car towards the school, his hands clenched so tightly around the steering wheel that his knuckles were white. When we pulled into parking lot he didn't look at me as he spoke, his voice low and terse; his body tense as if he was waiting for a fight "Have a nice day Ness. I'll see you this afternoon." I couldn't answer as his quick kiss, more a peck than anything, fluttered against my cheek. I remained quiet as I slid from the car and wandered lifelessly into my home room. I felt like a lost sheep all morning and Frina and Harrison had noticed but so far they hadn't figured out a way to ask what was the matter, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to answer them even if they had been able to voice their questions, they continued to shoot worried looks in my direction as I fumbled through classes I could normally have done in my sleep.

Their silence lasted until our first break where I sat, unusually quiet, gazing into space. It was Frina who broke through my self-imposed exile "This is ridiculous! Renesmee, what is going on? You're like a zombie, snap out of it." I jerked as her voice sliced into my brain. I blinked dazedly across the table at the concerned faces of the group who had adopted me and said "Huh?" this elicited several giggles but it only drew a hiss of annoyance from Frina who folded her pale arms across her chest before repeating her earlier statement "You're like a zombie, snap out of it." I forced my face into a parody of a smile before saying "Sorry I'm just having one of those days." She seemed to accept my excuse in front of the rest of the group but as we walked towards our next class she pulled me back, allowing the rest of the group to swarm off towards their respective classes, she waited until she was sure we were alone before saying "If you need to talk, I am here. Is everything ok at home?" I smiled sadly at her before saying "I know I've been a little strange today but seriously I am just having one of those days, everything is fine. I promise but thanks for offering, I appreciate it." I gave her a gentle one armed hug; careful not to squeeze too hard, I felt her return the hug as she said "I am your friend, that's what friends are for." I smiled and said "Thanks again Frina." before we walked towards our next class, talking quietly between ourselves. I was really glad that Frina and Harrison had welcomed me into their little sect apart from the whole group, and it was nice. We had settled into a pattern of friendship that I found easy and relaxed. We had most of our classes together, which made settling into a routine easy, and we spent every lunch laughing with the rest of their group of friends. I had quickly dismissed any thought of them coming to meet my family, I wasn't ready for the questions, but I was invited to spend the afternoon with Frina or Harrison. To which I said thanks but not yet sighting my need to catch up on school work before I get into trouble at home for putting friends ahead of school. They had nodded their heads as if to say that their parents had similar outlooks on life. So far I had avoided the social bullet of introducing my human friends to my not so human family but for how long was anyone's guess.

The rest of the day past in a blur of pretending everything was okay and trying to figure out what to do with Jacob. I couldn't let it go; I just wasn't wired that way, I never just got over something, if it bugged me I had to figure out a solution. But to this problem I couldn't see a solution and it was causing me no end of trepidation. As the day drew to a close I felt slightly better knowing that I could ask Jake the answers to my questions and get to the bottom of the issues we were facing, this buoyancy lasted until Frina, Harry and I walked into the car park. My eyes automatically sought the horizon blue of my mini and I felt stunned when I didn't see it, in its place stood a brilliant sea-blue Mercedes Cabriolet E-Class, and I felt a lead weight settle into the pit of my stomach.

I heard Harry's hiss of disbelief when Rose stepped from the car, I don't even think he noticed Emmett sitting quietly in the passenger seat, and I was glad that I hadn't had any feelings for him other than friendship because his reaction would have crushed my heart. I looked over at the two friends who had walked beside me and I saw looks of envy, annoyance, disbelief and lust (the last coming from Harrison) and I knew that I had to make the introductions otherwise I would come off as rude. So taking a deep breath I forced a smile onto my face and said "Hey Rose. This is Frina and Harrison, my friends, guys this is Rose my uh sister." If I stumbled over my explanation of Rose neither one seemed to notice as they both greeted Rose with varying degrees of warmth. Rose's beauty never ceased to amaze me, she had the same pale complexion, amber eyes and model good looks that my entire family had but that is where the similarities ended. Rose was gorgeous, blonde and a body any supermodel would sell her soul for; which if you asked Rose was exactly the price for the way she looked, one soul. I remember when I was little she used to let me brush her hair for her, I could do it for hours and she never once complained and she would even return the favour if I had sat still long enough.

In the split second it took for her to answer, I read in her face that I wouldn't like the reason she was here, she pasted a smile onto her beautiful lips and greeted both my friends with as much warmth as she was capable of giving strangers. "Hello, I'm pleased to meet you. It's nice to know she has someone to hang out with; other than us that is." Her tinkling wind-chime laugh was high and clear and both Frina and Harry seemed stunned by it. I rolled my eyes in her direction trying to convey that she needed to tone it down but she ignored me and continued to speak "Nessie, Mom and Dad asked Emmett and I to get you because Jacob was caught up on campus and wasn't going to be finished in time to grab you." At the mention of Em, Harry and Frina glanced towards the ostentatious vehicle and this time it was Frina's turn to stare at a member of my family. I figured it was easier just to ignore Em and forgo introductions, even if it was rude, and try and escape without too many questions being asked. I moved to stand between my family and my friends, facing Frina and Harrison, and smiled widely saying "Okay guys' thanks for walking me to the car. I will see you both tomorrow. See ya." Ignoring their intrigued looks I herded Rose back into her car and sliding into the rear seat I whispered "Please just drive before I scream." I heard Emmett's chuckle over the purring of the Mercedes' finely tuned engine but nothing in it seemed humorous. As we peeled out of the driveway I asked quietly "Where is Jacob?" I noticed the small glance that Rose and Em shot one another before Emmett answered "Don't know kiddo; all we know is that he left a note asking one of us to pick you up, said he was going hunting." I smiled painfully and my voice was thick with sarcasm as I said "Oh, well if he left a note then." My travelling companions heard the sarcasm but both chose to ignore it, I guess hoping that I wouldn't take my anger out on them for not knowing what I needed to know.

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><p><strong>Let me know what you fell so far :)<strong>

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	4. Where Have You Been?

**I own nothing Twilight related just this plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER FOUR<p>

Where have you been?

A full week passed without a single word from Jacob; and even though they tried to help me I could tell that my parents, and to some extent my extended family, were worried about him and my reaction to him not being there. The first couple of days I panicked and I tore apart my room and ranted and raved with such ferocity that Daddy asked Carlisle to give me something to help me sleep, I screamed and cried and eventually Momma told them to leave me alone to deal with all the anger and pain that was building up inside of me. The days after that were a mixture of phone calls to Seth and Leah (both members of Jacobs' pack who lived nearby) to see if either of them had seen Jake and frantic calls to Jake's Dad Billy, who seemed utterly unconcerned about his youngest child's absence, in Forks asking him to ring around and see if Sam (the leader of Jacobs' pack) or his wife Emily had heard anything. Nobody seemed to know where he was and I was far from convinced of this fact because I knew that they had tested the range a member of the wolf pack could go and not be contacted through the packs telepathy and it was further than 300 miles, so I knew deep down that someone wasn't telling me the truth. As the week closed I found myself wandering towards Leah and Seth's house, not that Seth was ever home but I felt that I needed to be near to someone who represented Jake and the next best thing was Seth. It was as I neared the front door that I heard a familiar deep voice and recognised a scent that was as known to me as my own, Jacob! I raced through the front door of the small house and stopped dead at the sight of Jacob with Leah in his big strong arms, his head resting on top of hers and one of his big palms circling her back.

A broken sob escaped my throat and for all its soundlessness it may as well have been a bullet for the effect that it had on the embracing couple. They sprang apart as if an electric current had passed through them, I looked from Leah's calmly defiant face to Jacobs' apologetically stunned one and whirled back towards the door, I ignored my name being called and took off at a dead run. I could hear Jake behind me but all I could see when I closed my eyes was Jacob with Leah wrapped within his arms, the pain was so intense that it was robbing me of my breath. He hadn't been missing, or hurt, or dead; he had been hiding out with Leah because he was a coward. As suddenly as the pain came it turned into anger and I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him. He saw that I had stopped running and he slowed to a stop just out of arms reach. I stood glaring at him, my arms folded over my chest, my heart beating a rapid and angry tattoo inside my chest. I wanted answers but my head was telling me that the answers I wanted were going to hurt just as much as not knowing.

Sucking in a lungful of air I clenched my teeth and growled "How could you do this? Have you been here the whole time? Why disappear and cause me so much pain? If you didn't want to be with me than all you had to do was say so, I wasn't going to attack you." A small humourless laugh escaped my tight control and I bitterly flung my next words at him "I guess now I know so there isn't any reason to pretend. I hope you and Leah will be happy together, it explains why she never told me where you were." I watched as pain and confusion crowded his handsome features and I wondered what my life would be like without him in it. The sound of my sobs drove me to move, I couldn't stand there and have him not say anything, I pushed past him and walked quickly into the street; mindful now of the people that seemed to be milling around. I managed to make it several feet before his large hand gripped my arm and swung me around. I jerked angrily, succeeding in nothing because my arm remained in his grasp; I glared at him and spat "Let me go now!" He shook his head, more a snapping it from one side to another, before saying "No Ness, I'm not letting you go. I don't understand what is happening here. Why do you look like you haven't slept the entire time I've been away?" I gave a snort of disbelief and said "I look like I haven't slept because I haven't not to mention that I had no way of knowing if you were dead, alive, sick or living in Vegas and all this time you've been here, with her, probably laughing at me. Were you here the other day when I came by? Or any of the times I've called?" My anger was waning and a heavy weight of depression was closing in on me, I felt the tears sliding down my face while trying to stop them. I turned my face away from him and flicked my fingers under my eyes to rid them of the tears burning in them.

I felt him move closer and I deliberately ignored his presence but it is hard to ignore someone as big as Jacob. His fingers slid beneath my chin and raised my face so he could look in my eyes before saying "I didn't run away, I needed some space and I went on a hunting trip. When I decided to not come back straight away I asked Leah to let you and your family know that I was okay and that there wasn't anything to be worried about. I only just got back about five minutes before you walked in and when I got here Seth and Leah had been having a massive fight and he stormed out of here after flinging some nasty words at her. I was comforting her when you walked in, nothing else, how could you think that when you know what we share?" I shook my head defiantly and said "She never told me anything, in fact neither of them said that they knew where you were; she said that you hadn't contacted her. I called your Dad; I had him checking with everyone we know to see if you had turned up there, I was so worried that you were hurt." I hadn't realised how loud my voice was getting until I turned away from him and noticed that we were drawing a crowd. I growled low, under my breath but my escape was blocked by Jake's solid form. He bent, almost in half, to look into my eyes and when I turned my face to avoid him he held my face more firmly in his palm. "I am so sorry that you were so worried and trust me that I will be finding out exactly why she didn't follow my request. There is nothing going on between Leah and I, there could be nothing going on between us even if we wanted it to. I love you and I imprinted on you, no her. I've known her my entire life so if I wanted to love her than I would have but I can't love her in any way other than like a sister because she drives me nuts. You know that, deep down, and if you had've waited for an explanation before drawing your own conclusions and racing off you would have noticed that I was touching her in a brotherly sort of way; the way Emmett or Jasper hug you and your Mom. I swear there is nothing going on between Leah and me. Please come back into the house so we can sort this out. Please." His tone had turned persuasive but my hurt and anger was still raging and I wasn't going to let go of them so easily, I shook my head and snapped "No! I am not coming back into that house, you go and figure out why she didn't pass on the message you said you asked her to and when you're finished getting your stories worked out then maybe you can come and talk to me." Wrenching my arm from his grip I swivelled on my feet and marched off in the direction I had come.

I was that furious that I didn't even check to see if he was followed me and honestly I don't think I cared even if he was. I stomped through the slush that was left from the recent snow fall and let my anger carry me wherever it wanted to. I was surprised to find that my anger had carried me to Harrison's house and even more surprised when I realised that I had rung the bell and the door was now being opened. I knew that if I put on a quick burst of speed that I could disappear from the doorstep without being seen but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to do it. "Frina, hey, wow hi!" I smiled quickly to cover my surprise at her being the one to open the door but my surprise was snuffed out when I saw her eyes were full of tears and she was struggling to hold herself together. I sighed, just a small 'oh', which was enough for her to sniff before shaking her head and running off, past me, down the steps. I stood staring after her trying to decide if I should follow her or not. My decision was made for me when Harry's voice, pleading and seriously stressed out, came from the back of the house calling Frina's name "Free, come back, please. I don't understand what…. Oh hi Renesmee, what are you doing here? Did you see Frina?"

My anger at him waned; I had been ready to yell at him for hurting Frina because I could see the genuine confusion at her reaction colouring his face. I decided to give him a break and give Frina the chance to cry out her feelings before he went traipsing after her; so I smiled, a twinge of guilt pinching inside me, and said "I didn't see anybody, when I got to the door it was open and I was about to knock when you came out. I was just in the neighbourhood and I thought I'd drop in, is now a bad time?" I heard the flirtatious sound in my voice and I hated it but if it served the purpose than it was worth it but I didn't miss the widening of his eyes or the increase in his heart beat and I cringed inwardly at his reaction. It took Harry a full three seconds to answer my query and when he did he stumbled over himself to get it out "No it's not… I was just… Frina… and then… I don't…" he stopped himself and took a deep breath before saying "No it's not a bad time, come on in." I flashed him another smile and wasn't really surprised at the flicker of lust that entered his eyes. My brain registered that this might be a bad idea for our friendship but my heart overruled my head, saying that it didn't matter anything that took my mind off Jacob was a good thing and if I could maybe get some payback than all the better, so I followed him into the house.

Once we got inside I lost my nerve and I wanted to leave straight away but my stubborn streak, which according to Daddy I inherited from my Mom, refused to co-operate. Harry seemed just as lost as I was when it came to what to do next, so I said "Wow your house is really nice, can you give me a tour?" anything to defuse the weird vibe that surrounded us. I followed him through the downstairs rooms of his house, not really listening to the commentary he was giving because my mind was back with Jake and Leah. We walked up the stairs that sat to the right of the front door, windows framed the entire staircase so you could look out onto the yard, I really liked this feature and I told him so. Harry seemed embarrassed about the wall of glass saying "I sometimes don't like it, it makes me feel exposed, you know?" and I spoke without thinking "I know what you mean, it's like everything you do is watched and there isn't anywhere to hide." He nodded, taking heart in the fact that I didn't think he was a weirdo, before grabbing my hand and tugging me up the staircase. I laughed as he stumbled on a random shoe that had been left lying on the stairs, as I did this I glanced out of the windows and my laughter died. Jake was standing on Harry's front yard staring through the window at Harry and I as we made our way up the stairs, hand in hand. I gasped and pulled free of Harry before stuttering "Sorry Harry, I just noticed the time, I have to go. See you tomorrow at school." I saw the confusion on his face before he glanced out the window in Jake's direction; I saw a speculative gleam enter his eye as he looked back at me. I wasn't prepared for his next move and it froze me to the spot. Moving back towards me, I thought he was going to walk me outside, he stopped on the step beside me and moving closer he kissed my mouth.

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><p><strong>Please review<strong>

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	5. Misunderstandings

**I own nothing Twilighty only this plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER FIVE<p>

Misunderstandings

I stood stock still, unable to think let alone react, as Harry's mouth sealed itself against mine and moved softly. It took a split second for me to move; I jerked away from him, forgetting that I was standing half way up a flight of stairs, and felt my footing slip. The last thing I saw before tumbling backwards down the steps was Harry's shocked face and his hand reaching out for me. Now in my head I knew that the fall wouldn't really hurt me but the shock of it still drew a startled scream from me. I tumbled over and over until I reached the bottom of the stairwell, I lay quietly trying to regain my equilibrium along with my breath. I heard Harry jump down the stairs and come to a stop beside me, calling my name over and over again but my scattered brain refused to let me answer. I could hear the panic creeping into Harry's voice and I knew that if I didn't respond to him he was going to call an ambulance and they would want to take me to the hospital and I knew that I couldn't let that happen, so I struggled into a sitting position and said "Harry its okay I'm fine. I just lost my step, that's all. I, um, think it might be best if I go and get my Uncle to look at it though." Harry was crouching over me with a worried look on his green-tinged face; I tried again to reassure him "Honestly Harry I'm fine." Moving my limbs I was slightly surprised to feel twinges of discomfort, obviously I had fallen harder than I thought, but that wouldn't account for the rapid greening of Harrison's face. "Harry I am okay, please don't worry about me. Why are you staring at me like that?" My annoyance made my voice sharper than I had intended it to be but it shouldn't have resulted in the ringing in my head but that answer came with Harry saying "Ness you have a huge gash on your head. We need to get you to the hospital, now!" I froze as the sound of his words sunk in, then I raised my hand to my head and was even more surprised when it came away sticky and wet with warm blood. I smiled faintly and said "Um yeah that might be a good idea but Carlisle, my Uncle, isn't at the hospital today. He is at home, so maybe you could drive me there instead that'd be great." I struggled to my feet and let Harry help me out to the green pick-up sitting in his front yard. I allowed him to help my into the passenger seat without much thought as to what I was doing asking him to drive me home and the questions that it would raise.

The minute Harry twisted the key in the ignition and the truck rumbled to life I closed my eyes and gave directions to our property without opening them to see if he was following my directions or ignoring me and driving me to the hospital. After several quiet minutes I knew that he was taking me home because the sounds and the smells had changed from city to rural and I relaxed a little more. When we pulled up out the front of the huge white house that Carlisle and Esme lived in I knew that I was in for the third degree because Harry snatched a quick breath and muttered softly "Jeez, check out the models." Which to me meant that at least more than one member of my family that Harry hadn't seen now stood on the front stoop, waiting. I unbuckled my seatbelt but Harry's sharp voice stopped me "Don't even think about getting out of this car without help Renesmee." and considering how much my head throbbed I didn't even bother to argue with him. The car door was opened a second later and the cool hands of my Daddy gathered me close and he whispered quickly and silently in my ear "Ness what happened? Is this child responsible for this?" I groggily replayed the incident inside my head and let him see that Harry wasn't directly responsible for my present condition. I lay my head against his shoulder and drifted into welcoming sleep.

When I woke it was dark outside and I was lying in Carlisle office, the shades had been closed and the room was muted and still; I shifted slightly, testing out my sore muscles, before sitting up slowly. A deep voice stopped any further movement off the sofa I had been lying on. "Renesmee Cullen I thought you had more sense than to behave the way you did." For a split second I was confused as to what Daddy meant and when I opened my mouth to say so he snapped "Letting that boy kiss you while Jacob watched was reprehensible, how could you do such a thing?" I felt anger bubble up inside of me and it playing itself out through my thoughts _'I didn't let him do anything. He spotted Jake and he kissed me. I wouldn't be here if he hadn't surprised me. I take it Jake came back. Well did you see the reason for my being at Harry's in the first place? _Silence greeted my thought and I knew that Jacob hadn't let on to what had drove me to my friends house in the first place, so concentrating over my throbbing head I replayed the entire scene with Jacob within my head, Daddy's growl was the only indication that he had heard me. So I said "I didn't go there to get revenge, well that wasn't my sole purpose anyways, I went there for friendship and then it got blown all out of control." His clenched jaw made his words muffled as he said "I know that and I knew that Jacob was hiding something from me but he was stubbornly refusing to think about it. I am going to let the others know that you are awake and they will all want to come and see you to make sure that you are okay, especially Carlisle because this was something we always wondered about." The comment intrigued me but before I could form the intrigue into a question he said "We always wondered if your skin was as impenetrable as ours." Touching my head gently he continued "I guess now we know the answer." I smiled wryly up at him and opened my mouth to speak but he was gone, I had barely ten seconds to myself before there was an influx of vampires crowding in on me. I tried to answer all of their questions but their bombardment was hurting my head more than I could stand but funnily enough it wasn't Daddy who told everyone to give me some space it was Carlisle; whose deep, calm voice washed through me relieving the tension I had been feeling "Okay I need some space with the patient, you can visit after I have checked her over now that she is conscious." I felt embarrassed heat colour my cheeks but I refused to acknowledge it.

Every member of my family, except Jake who hadn't been there, filed out of the room on Carlisle request; leaving me to smile sheepishly at my Grandfather. He spoke quickly and his touch was professional as he went through all of my injuries and checked to see if I was okay. When he was satisfied that I wasn't wounded beyond repair he sat back and said "How did this happen?" I closed my eyes and rolled them behind my lids before opening them and reaching a hand out to touch his wrist. I showed him the fall, every bump and jolt of the fall down Harrisons' stairs. When I was done he said "Well I am very glad that you weren't more seriously hurt and I think that, if we were given the chance, we wouldn't have like to find out that you're not as thick skinned as the rest of us. Your father told me what happened with Jacob and I think that both you and Jacob need to talk about this together without the interference of the family, I suggest you lay here for a while longer than go and seek out Jacob and then…" his sentence never finished as we both heard the sound of shouting coming from downstairs.

"Edward there is nothing you can do, she is an adult and she needs to work this out on her own, they both have things they need to work out." Momma's strident voice was firm and I could see her standing before my father, preventing him from racing across the miles to attack Jacob as he made his way towards the house. His scent getting stronger as he came closer, I made to get up from the sofa only to be held firmly in place by Carlisle who smiled and said "Rest, I will go and sort this out. I will send Jacob up here as soon as possible. Close your eyes and rest." I closed my heavy lids and lay back against the sofa, tired beyond words.

The exhaustion lasted for as long as it took Jacob to reach the house, than all hell broke loose, there was yelling and shouting and the sound of bodies crashing together; then there was nothing. No shouting, no crashing of meeting bodies, no breaking furniture; only the sound of dragging feet as they made their way towards Carlisle study, I kept my eyes closed even though it was Jacob, I was reluctant to have this confrontation now. He walked in and crossed to my side, I felt him crouch down and sit there staring at me. I pretended to be sleeping but as a small chuckle made me aware that he knew I wasn't, his next words confirmed it for me. "Ness I know that you're not asleep, I know how your body sounds when it's asleep." I sighed and opened my eyes slowly and looked up at him through my eyelashes, the sad look on his face made my heart twist and I struggled into a sitting position. When he moved to help me I held out my hand and whispered "No, I can do it." He rocked back on his heels and watched me move gingerly up the sofa.

I breathed in deeply and swung my legs over the side of the couch and faced him, however reluctantly, and opened my mouth, wary of the swelling I could feel and the slight split in my lip, to speak but his words cut me off. "I know that it the gentlemanly thing to allow a lady to go first but I need to get something out into the open before we go any further. After seeing that boy…" his tone became ferocious but he continued trying to even out his tone "I went back to Leah's and I confronted her. I want you to know that I did ask her to pass on the fact that I had gone hunting and I demanded to know why she hadn't, she said that it served you right for making me feel like I had to go away for a little space. I couldn't believe that she had done that so we had a huge argument and I told her in no uncertain terms that it had been my decision to have time away on my own, not yours, and that you had nothing to do with the decision. Also what you walked in on at her and Seth's place was absolutely nothing, I swear and I promise that from now on if I need space than I will let you know personally." He lent in and kissed my forehead, making me wince in pain. I hoped that he missed the little grimace but I really should have known better. I heard his breathing hitch and his heartbeat accelerate before he growled "I should kill him for this."

I rolled my eyes and winced again before saying "It wasn't his fault, not really anyway, I misjudged my footing and fell." Jacob snorted and said "Yeah, that's all that happened." I swore under my breath and he smiled saying "You should know by now that you can't lie to me or hide anything from me because your face, even bruised and cut, is an open book." I looked him squarely in the eye before saying "I haven't lied to you." I lent back slightly when he lent forward, my movement not going unnoticed. His nostrils flaring as he said "So why did you let him kiss you?"

I jerked away from the ferocity in his voice, the movement causing radiating waves of pain to sweep through my body, but my voice remained steady and I hissed at him, my anger flowing from me like a burst dam "I didn't _let_ him do anything. He saw _you_ standing outside and he took advantage of my surprise at seeing you there. If it makes you feel better, all this" I gestured to my head and my body "is because I jerked away from him and fell backwards down the stairs. So if that's _letting_ someone kiss you than I think you and I have been doing it wrong. If it bothered you so much why didn't you do something about it? Why did you just take off? You didn't even hear me scream Jake."

His face contorted as I failed to control the hurt within my voice, he whispered "I couldn't stand there and watch. The second I saw the two of you kissing" I narrowed my eyes and glared silently at him causing him to say "When I saw him kissing you that if I went into that house I would've done something we both would have regretted and deep down I knew that you wouldn't do something like that, even if you were pissed at me." Jacob's whole body seemed to vibrate with his emotions and I wondered what was really going on inside his head. Suddenly he got to his feet and started pacing around the room; I watched him as he paced his circular movements causing my head to ache, so closing my eyes I waited for him to work through whatever was going through his mind. It didn't take long before he stopped moving and opened his mouth to speak, I could see the set lines of his face and I was pretty sure that whatever he was about to so would end in an argument, and as he spoke my thoughts were confirmed "I think that maybe you should change schools, you know, maybe even go to college. You're definitely smart enough and then we can be together, all day every day and, now that we know you are breakable, then I could keep an eye on you and so could your parents."

I snarled low and in the back of my throat, drawing his attention back to me. I stood slowly and said "I am _not_, I repeat not, changing schools. I am _not_ making another new set of friends and I am _not_ going to have you all being over protective because of a little cut on my head. I know you are feeling out of sorts but seriously I can look after myself. I won't allow you all to treat me like a fragile little flower." My fury propelled me across the room and I watched myself poke a finger into his chest, I couldn't stop my voice from rising as my anger mounted. "I have had a really bad day and all you're worried about is keeping me closer to you, I love you but I need some space. Just like you do but unlike you I won't keep quiet about it. I refuse to be dictated to, I will take into consideration what you want but considering how screwed up my life has been so far I want so semblance of normality." The stunned look on Jacob's face stopped my ranting short; I turned away from him and made a shaky return to the couch where I slumped down feeling drained. I closed my eyes and said softly "I think I need to rest now." There was no response except the soft closing of the door.

The next few days were some of the worst I had experienced. Jacob barely came home and when he was there he made sure to only be around with me when there were other people nearby. We barely spoke and when we did it was about stupid little things; the weather, my injuries, when Rose and Emmett were coming home; things that had little or no deep meaning. I didn't know how to fix it and, from the uncomfortable way Jacob was around me and my family, he didn't know how to fix it either. Three days after my fall Jacob and I were sitting in the lounge room, I was one end of the couch and Jake was the other, when my parents came in. I could tell from the set looks on their faces that they wanted to say something and I readied myself for a fight that I could feel coming. Daddy looked at Mom as if unsure of how to proceed, Mom, in return smile softly before saying "We have been talking and we think that we might have a solution, to what seems to us, to be an impasse." She paused and held out her hand for Daddy to take, she smiled and he took up her train of thought. "We spoke to Carlisle and he called in on the principal of Nessie's school and he has organised for you to be able to spend every lunch time together." I moved to the edge of my seat and asked happily "Really? That is excellent." I smiled warmly and looked over at Jacob who seemed a little less enthused than I would have expected. He rubbed his hand over his face before saying tiredly "Thanks that'd be great. But it doesn't stop me from worrying about her being away from me for the remainder of that time." I rolled my eyes and caught Momma doing the same thing; I flashed a quick smile at her before looking back at Jacob. "I can take care of myself Jake, honestly. The fall was an accident and it won't happen again, I promise. Please, I hate fighting with you and I hate this weirdness, let's try this and if it doesn't go well then we can talk about me changing schools." I held my breath and waited for Jacobs' answer and when it came he sounded tired and a lot older. I looked over at my parents, unsure of what to do next and was surprised to see a troubled look cross my father's face but I didn't want to interrupt Jacob's seeming capitulation "Fine, we'll try it this way but I will only give it two months. If it doesn't work out then we move to plan B, Ness comes to college and I can keep a close eye on her." I crawled across the small space between us and threw my arms around his shoulders, kissing his cheek I said "Thanks Jake. You won't regret it, I swear." He remained statue-like and whispered "I already do." before untangling himself from my arms and leaving the room. I got up to follow him but Daddy's voice stopped me "Let him go Renesmee, Jacob has other things on his mind and until he sorts them out he won't be completely at peace with his decision." I didn't understand exactly what he meant but I nodded and let them leave me alone, sitting on the lounge and contemplating how my life got so skewed.

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	6. Jealousy Thy Name Is Stupidity

**I own only the plot all the Twilight awesomeness is Stephanie Meyers :)**

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><p>CHAPTER SIX<p>

Jealousy thy name is Stupidity

Jacob hadn't come to see me at school, even though he had been given permission to do so, and I was enjoying the normality that my life usually lacked. My life was boringly normal and I actually loved it, I was met every afternoon by Jacob and this was the highlight of the day. Frina had asked questions about Jake but I asked her not to mention him to the others because I didn't want them knowing my personal business, she had thought I was crazy to want to hide Jacob and not flaunt him in front of the other girls. I had laughed but pleaded with her to do this for me. She had reluctantly agreed. The normality I craved lasted for about six weeks and those six weeks had been the best I could remember. That was until we were walking from our last class before lunch, which just happened to be math, and Harrison pulled me aside. We hadn't really spoken alone since the incident on his stairs and I wasn't really in the mood to do so now especially since I didn't want to encourage him. I stopped but remained at Frina's side. Harry closed his eyes briefly before opening them to say "Ah Renesmee can I ask you something?" I looked at him strangely and said "As long as it's not 'can I borrow your homework' 'cause the last time that happened you copied it word for word and I had to redo mine." He laughed self-consciously and I was even more intrigued. Frina looked slightly annoyed and since I knew she had feelings for Harry that went beyond the friendship façade, I was even more concerned. Harrison didn't see the look and he said "Hey Frina can you go save our seats please, we won't be long." I felt annoyance at his obvious ignorance to the hurt that Frina felt at his attitude; surely after her tearful exit from his house he wasn't so blind to the fact that she loved him. I waited as she walked away, it took Harrison several seconds to speak again and I felt irritation sparked inside me, I was tempted to touch him and hurry 'it', whatever 'it' was, up. He looked around at anything but me when he spoke again "No Renesmee I don't want to borrow your homework, I wanted to ask you a serious question and I didn't want to do it in front of everyone." My irritation was definitely surging now as I waited for him to actually get around to asking his question. He lifted a hand and tucked a stray lock of my hair behind my ear, I didn't speak and I think this threw him because when he did speak again his voice was hoarse and his words were rushed. "I want to know, would you'd like to go out with me? You know like on a date." I was shocked and I didn't know how to answer. Sure I liked Harry but I like Frina's friendship more. I opened my mouth to answer him but a deeper more fearsome voice sounded from behind me.

"No she wouldn't like to go out with you beat it." Both Harry and I spun around and faced the person whose voice had interrupted our conversation. I recognised Jake's voice immediately but I had never heard the tone he was using and when I looked up into his face I saw anger and something else shining there. Harrison, although not the brawniest guy in school, stepped in front of me and said to Jacob "What the hell is it to you anyway?" I tugged on Harrison's hand succeeding in freeing myself without hurting him, but before I could say anything Jake was growling low in the back of his throat "I happen to be her boyfriend, so unless you would like me to re-arrange your good looking face I suggest you leave, now!" Harrison shot me a stunned look, it was streaked through with confusion and anger but he left. I watched him go, my feeling of disappointment sharp and slightly painful. I hadn't wanted to hurt him and if Jake had given me the opportunity to explain things to Harry I'm sure it would have gone far better than it had. Rounding on Jake I slapped a hand against his chest and said "What the hell was that for?" he was breathing heavily as if trying to control his temper and I waited, hands on my hips, for him to answer me. It took him a full minute before he had controlled himself enough to say "I saw him pull you away from the crowd, I was curious why you went willingly and I came closer. I could tell the second that I looked at his face what he wanted and then when he touched you, I snapped and I wanted to rip his arm off." He dropped his head to rest his forehead against mine, wrapping his arms around my waist he whispered. "I'm sorry Ness. I overreacted. I was so jealous and I wasn't thinking properly." I rolled my eyes and asked "Honestly? Jake are you crazy? As if he could hold a candle to you and I get the whole jealousy thing, but I thought we covered that already, I like him of course I do he is a _friend_. Can you remember what they are? Now he probably hates me for this and I'm gonna have to work at regaining his friendship. If you had've waited for like ten seconds you would have seen me let him down gently" my voice changed to one of mocking regret as I said "I'm sorry Harry but I already have a boyfriend and he is one very large, over-protective werewolf and sometimes he acts before he thinks." Jake twisted his mouth into a self-mocking smile and said "Okay, I get it. Take me to him so I can apologise, I'd hate to damage any friendships you have here. I just want you to be happy." Quickly kissing my lips he pulled away, took my hand and allowed me to pull him in the direction of the cafeteria.

As we entered the long room that housed the cafeteria I noticed that more than the usual amount of people stared as we walked through the doors. I ignored the looks and the increased whispering and walked towards the table that I shared with the friends I had managed to make. They were all staring too, well except Harry who was glowering down at his pizza as if it had done something to offend him. I stopped and looked around awkwardly and said "Guys, this is Jacob." There was a small pause while my friends stared and then they all choked out various forms of greetings. I jerked my head in the direction of a spare chair and Jake grabbed it while I slumped into the one that Frina had saved for me. Conversation was slowly starting up again and I concentrated on the topic, it was Jensen's car (the rev head in our group, he loved anything that had an engine) and the trouble it was causing him. I felt Jacob's interest peak and I knew that within seconds he would have absorbed himself in the conversation. My thoughts proved prophetic and within seconds Jake was giving advice and asking questions about Jensen's car. I rolled my eyes at the female population, which until today I hadn't noticed was out-weighed by the male population, we laughed at the guys and their conversation. My eyes lingered lovingly on Jake's face and when I turned back to the girls Frina said quietly "Wow! I never noticed before he is huge!" I chuckled because I forgot that to everyone else Jacob was unusually tall and muscular, to me he was perfect. The rest of the girls laughed too and suddenly they were all asking me questions like 'how come you never told us about him?' 'When did you guys meet?' and from Grace, a very shy Asian girl in the group 'what do your parents say?' That one was the easiest to answer because it was part of our 'cover' I took a deep breath and said "My parents died" which technically they had "and I am staying with my Aunt and Uncle." Which most of the time we did "They love Jake and they treat him like part of the family." Most of them did anyway. I thought about which question to answer next but Frina interrupted with another question "What did Harry ask you anyway? When he came in he looked terrified and angry all at the same time." I sighed and without thinking I reached out and touched Jake's arm. Frina's question lingering in my thoughts, he turned and lovingly touched my face with a small smile that said 'blame me I have broad enough shoulders' which made me smile before turning back to Frina and seeing the stunned faces of the girls in our group I panicked, I forestalled their questions by saying "He wanted to ask me out but Jake kind of took offence, he yelled at him. That was why it took us so long to come inside, I was yelling at Jake." I hadn't wanted to actually tell Frina the true reason behind Harry getting me alone. I was worried that it might damage our friendship and if she hadn't been looking at the way Jake and I interacted I think it might have destroyed it completely. The girls all sat staring at me with open mouths; Frina was the first to recover, and I know that the pain of Harrison's question still burned within her, she whispered incredulously "You yelled at him?" I nodded and she continued amazement in her tone. "Wow, I don't think I'd have the nerve to yell at a boy let alone one that was as big as Jacob." I smiled softly "He is a big softy. There isn't anything in this world that he wouldn't do for me, and vice versa. I love him." The combined sigh that came from the collective female genre was loud enough to draw attention back to us and conversation once again became a group affair.

The bell rung to signal the end of lunch and we were all heading to our next class which was History but I lingered outside the cafeteria saying goodbye to Jake. I kissed his mouth and said quietly "You have nothing to worry about, I love you and there couldn't be anyone else." He pulled me closer and kissed me hard, when he put me away from him we were both breathing hard and his voice shook when he said "I'll be here to pick you up. I love you Nessie." Kissing his hand I said "Bye Jake, love you too." I watched as he sauntered away from the school buildings and I waited until he had descended the stairs that led to the parking lot before racing to catch up with the rest of the small faction of our group that I had History with. I made it through History and Language, even Gym but my mind kept skipping out on me. I had one more class, which was English, and I knew it was going to be even harder to concentrate when I knew I had an hour left until I saw Jake. We filed past Mr Philips and took our seats, the second we were seated he proceeded to drone on about Shakespeare and within minutes my mind was wandering. "Renesmee" I was jolted back to reality, Oh crap, Mr Philips's voice called my name again from across the classroom and I had absolutely no idea what it is he had been talking about, so pasting what I hope is a winning smile on my face I trilled "Yes Mr Philips?" Oops I need to tone it down, my voice is way to musical and clear and people are staring, that's another thing about being a hybrid, you need to work on things that everyone else does effortlessly, like talking. Mr Philips seemed momentarily stunned but he quickly got past the stunned and anger sent a wave of colour up his neck. "I asked you a question, what was Shakespeare's reasoning behind this use of alliteration?" I felt my heartbeat return to normal and I answered his question without really thinking about it. Before he could scold me for not paying attention the bell rang, leaving me wondering just how much I had missed in that lesson, sweeping my things into my bag with humanly-impossible speed; I forced myself to walk with human fastness out of the classroom. As I stepped from the classroom I smelt Frina come up from behind me. "Renesmee what is going on? Did something happen after lunch? You have been totally spaced all afternoon." I cringed but before I could answer her I caught a whiff of a familiar smell and a whispered sigh passed my lips "Jake" Frina huffed out an impatient sigh but I ignored her, throwing her a quick and vapid good-bye I flew across the campus and down to the car park where, parked on his motorcycle, Jacob waited for me.

I knew he heard me coming and, without really looking to see if he was prepared for it, I leapt into his arms. Wrapping mine tightly around his neck I bent my head and placed a lingering kiss on his mouth. He returned my kiss while holding me effortlessly off the ground with his massive arms corded with muscles no normal eighteen year old possessed. He finally put me down and as my toes grazed the bitumen I clung tighter, shaking my head and pressing my hands against his face and neck. "I know you don't wanna be put down Nessie but I can't drive and hold you too." As my hands were still pressed against him the quick flash of thought that ran through my head, the thing I wanted to do more than anything in the entire world, was passed into his. I heard him groan and he dropped his head to rest his forehead against mine. "Oh Nessie do me a favour and don't think about that anywhere near your father because as much as he likes me I think he still might kill me." He placed me more firmly away from him and I stared petulantly up at him, and not being able to voice my fears and feelings of rejection I touched his cheek. His gaze bore into my downturned head and he whispered "I want you more than life itself but I don't think you're ready. We have an eternity together and I'm not going anywhere plus we don't know if it's even possible and what the consequences could be."

I let my hand fall from his face and before I could answer a voice thick with disgust and annoyance growled from behind me and my senses, the ones I had ignored while in Jacob's embrace, belatedly kicked in and I tensed before I recognised my fathers' voice "Too late for that favour to be granted Jacob Black. I should kill you where you stand for what I just heard from inside your head." I turned and attempted to shield Jake with my body, an attempt that should have been laughed at because at five and a half feet tall and weighing about one hundred and ten pounds I was still a lot smaller than Jacob, I looked at my father and thought '_Over my dead body!' _My dad looked at me and said "Go home Renesmee." I felt a quiet snarl rip through my chest and as it vibrated through the tense space the sound of my mothers' musical voice came from the top of the stairs to the car park "Edward you will not kill him!" and even though she had spoken in a normal voice from her position way above us we all heard it as clearly as if she had been standing beside us instead of thirty feet away. My protective stance relaxed because I knew with smug assurance that my mother wouldn't let anything happen to my Jake. Hearing the smug thought pass through my head my dad glared at me. I looked at him and said "What are you guys doing here anyway?" I looked into the gorgeous faces of my parents and waited for them to explain why they were here. They didn't and I felt anger rising inside me. I knew that every thought I was having my father could hear so I made the annoyance I felt extremely loud. Seeing that his temper and patience was fraying I turned to Jake and said "Fine let's go home." Momma stepped closer to us and said "We just had a call from Alice she wanted to know what you had planned that had wiped us all off her radar." I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders, Jake did the same and then he said "Nothing, I swear, I haven't made any plans." He moved away from my parents swinging his leg over the motorcycle. I shot a quizzical look at my parents and felt kind of shocked when Daddy said "I know what's happening Jacob, don't leave it too long." Jacob just shook his head and shot an apologetic look at my dad before saying "Butt out Edward, nothing is going on. Come on Nessie let's go." I looked at my parents and letting my gaze rest on my dad I thought _'I'm sorry Daddy' _he just jerked his head to acknowledge that he had heard me, before I climbed onto the back of Jakes' bike. I rested my head against his broad back and let the exhilarating feel of speed rush through me.

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><p><strong>Teen angst, gotta love it.<strong>

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	7. Truth And Consequences

**I only own the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER SEVEN<p>

Truth and Consequences

We rode in silence for a while and then I lifted the back of his t-shirt and placed my hand against his back, the bike slowed and he pulled off the road. Once the bike stopped I jumped down and paced away from the road and into the thick forest that framed the outskirts of the town I went to school in, I knew that he would follow me and I didn't even worry about looking to see if he had. We were so in sync that it was so easy to be quiet and not say anything and for it to be as meaningful as a long conversation. I stopped walking after about five minutes, I wanted to talk to him and get some straight answers but I didn't know how to frame the questions I wanted to ask. I turned to him and seeing his eyes cloud over with worry I stepped toward him and caressed his face, I must have shown him a flash of what I wanted to talk to him about because he huffed out an impatient breath and said "Seriously Renesmee is that all you think about?" I felt anger and frustration flood my body and I couldn't stop the need to pace from over taking me. I felt the sting of emotional tears prick my eyes and turning to him I said "Jake do you love me? I mean, do you think I'm pretty and do you find me sexually attractive, and not just in the 'you're my mate and I'm stuck with you' kind of way." Jake stared with suddenly wise eyes and said quietly "Of course I love you Nessie, I love you with my entire heart..." my own heart swelled as he said this but his hesitation made me panic. His next words confirmed that my panic was justified "But we can't just have sex because you think it'll bring us closer. There is so much more that we have to consider, we will make love and I am dying for the day that we are ready to face those consequences, but I just don't think we're ready just now."

I walked closer to him and folded my arms tightly around him, I pulled his head down and kissed his mouth; biting his lip, harder than I meant, and drawing blood. He pulled back and cursed but before he could storm away from me in a snit I pulled him back to me and moulded my body against his. I could feel the proof of his desire against my stomach and his heartbeat ratcheted up several notches, I pressed my advantage and pulling his shirt free of the jeans he wore I rubbed my hands across his washboard hard stomach. The feel of his skin against mine intensified the emotions I was feeling and made me even bolder. He gave a grunt of appreciation as my pale hands caressed his skin, and his long eyelashes swept high cheekbones infused with heated colour. I could feel his surrender and I moved in for the kill, so to speak. Kissing every inch of his face and throat that I could reach I whispered in his ear "I love you Jake, please, do this for me." And I knew from every experience in my entire life that when I asked for something he went out of his way to give it to me, and I wanted this more than ever. The feel of his large hands covering my back and pulling me closer was reassuring, he grabbed me and we slowly we sunk to the floor of the forest, he held his body away from mine and in my frustration I pulled him over me. Jake pulled his mouth away from mine and whispered "I don't want to squash you Ness." I touched his face and showed him how I needed the feel of his body on mine.

I was so pleased that I was getting my way that I completely missed when he made the decision to stop. He pulled away and rolled far enough that we weren't touching he said, as I groped for him, he panted "Stop! We are not doing this here; I need to talk to the Doc before we go any further. I couldn't stand it if I hurt you and I know your parents would kill me if I did. Our first time shouldn't be in a forest on a dirty floor of pine needles, it should be on a big soft bed." I rolled to my feet, even though his words made sense and I wanted our first time together to be memorable I was furious, I stayed in a crouch and growling through my teeth I said "Fine. Well when you've discussed our potential sex life with Carlisle you can go and" and I told him to go and do something that had him saying "Renesmee!" before I sprinted through the forest leaving him standing there alone. I ran flat out until I was five miles from home that was when I became aware that I was no longer alone, within seconds my father was running beside me. I slowed to a stop and we stood staring at each other for the length of time it took me to think about, without specifics, what had happened between Jacob and me. He held his arms open wide and I ran into them, he held me while I cried out my frustration and when I was done he wiped my cheeks and said "As much as I would love to go and pull him apart he is doing the responsible thing. I heard his anger and pain when he got home; he is caught between his desire to do the right thing and his desire for you, also Jacob is having some inner dramas of his own that he is dealing with. Your mother and I agree that you should both go and talk to Carlisle and go from there." I nodded my head and took off running towards the large white building where my grandparents live.

As I burst through the trees I noticed that only Carlisles' smell could be found, I called out softly and heard in return "I am in my study Nessie, come on up." I slowed to human pace and walked up the first flight of stairs to his study, I didn't bother to knock because he knew it was me. I entered the room that was his personal space and my attention was immediately caught by the display of art work that depicted Carlisle's life. The most frightening one was of him and the Volturi, the picture itself was benign but its subject was far from harmless. The one time I had had dealings with the Volturi was the time they had come to destroy my family, but with our friends and some impartial witnesses we were able to defuse the situation without my family losing their lives, and since they had left we hadn't heard from them. Carlisle sat patiently waiting for me to tell him the meaning of my visit, I wasn't sure how or even were to start so I said "I know I'm different, physically from other humans, and I know that I have more chromosomes than normal, and that so does Jacob, but what does that actually mean? Are we more alike or less alike?" I couldn't frame the questions that I really wanted answered and I found myself crouching down beside his chair and 'asking' in my own way what would happen if Jacob and I ever got physical. The compassion on his face made tears well in my eyes again and I whispered "I don't want to be the freak that can't have a normal life. I want to be a normal teenager, I want to be able to have sex with my boyfriend without fear of something weird happening, but I don't want to be like Momma and end up pregnant either, well not yet anyway, and that's another thing. I don't even know if I can get pregnant. I need you to help me answer these questions, you are the smartest person I know, and I know that you will try and answer them for me." I looked up at him and his quiet voice calmed my anxiety just as quickly as Jasper and his 'gift', he spoke with such conviction that I knew that he would go to the ends of the earth to find the answers I sought "I will do whatever I can to find out just how compatible you and Jacob are; I already know, through what Jacob has told us about the imprinting, that it is a way to carry on their bloodline, so we can safely say that you will one day be able to have baby's. As for your other questions, I do not know the answers but I promise that I will try and find them out for you. Actually there is a source that we haven't thought about." His voice faded away and he sat staring into space, I felt frustration and confusion crinkle the skin between my brows, I reached out a hand and he said "I still think it's funny that when you get impatient or frustrated you revert back to 'asking' the way you did when you were little. The source I was thinking about was Nahuel, we could find a way to get in contact with him and ask him whether or not this type of thing is possible. That is to say we know that you are compatible but whether or not it is risky. In the mean time we can run some tests if you like to see if there is any possibility that you will be able to have children. It may mean some slightly embarrassing questions." I reached over and kissed his cold cheek and said "Thanks Grandpa, I appreciate your help, so ask away."

I spent the remainder of the afternoon answering extremely personal questions about my body and everything my body had done in the five years since my birth. I gave him the complete run down, every period, every time I had sneezed anything and everything. I was completely amazed at his thirst for knowledge and if it had've been anyone else I think frustration would have made me leave sooner than I did. And when I did leave it was with his reassurance that he would try and find out everything he possibly could about me. As I walked out of his study I became aware of Jacobs' scent wafting to me through an open window, I sighed and walked slowly from the house, I didn't want to see him at that precise moment but I knew I needed to apologise for saying what I had said to him and I knew my hesitation to see him was more to do with my embarrassment at behaving the way I had, than to anything he had done. My eyesight adjusted to the dim light of dusk and I could make out Jake's hulking wolf shape waiting for me in the shadow of the forest. I knew the minute he decided that I wasn't going to run from him because he turned his back and walked further into the trees, I slowed to give him time to phase back and to put his pants on. By the time I reached the edge of the forest he was back standing in the spot where I first seen him. I walked closer and sheepishly said "I'm sorry Jake, I acted like a spoiled brat. I didn't mean any of it, I promise, I was just really frustrated. I don't know which way is up anymore. If it wasn't for you I don't think I'd be as sane as I am. I love you Jacob Black and nothing will ever change that."

Jake stood there staring at me for longer than I thought was strictly necessary and I was beginning to feel uncomfortable when his deep soothing voice said "Nessie, I know that you love me but if it's causing you pain or distress I will leave, I'm not saying that it won't hurt but I will do it if you need some space." And even as he spoke the words I heard something else behind them. He walked towards me and it wasn't until he reached his hand out and lifted my chin telling me "Breathe" that I realised that I had stopped doing that exact thing but I couldn't control the hyperventilating my body was doing, my brain refused to process what he was saying and I gripped him harder than I expected and said "NO! Jake, no! You can't leave me, I can't lose you! I spoke to my Dad earlier, and yeah you might want to avoid seeing him on your own it might not be safe, and I decided to go and see Grandpa. He has had me locked in his study performing horrible test on me to find out what would happen if we got pelvicky with one another and he doesn't know anything yet but he will find out, I have faith in him." At the mention of tests I saw Jake's colour drain and his breathing shallowed out painfully he pulled me closer to his big warm body saying "Honey I'm so sorry that it was awful, I'll be there next time to hold your hand." I felt the love and devotion flowing off him in waves and I knew that his offer to leave was superficial so I said "Jake it wasn't anything bad, embarrassing yes, bad no." Putting my hand against his cheek I showed him what had happened while I had been locked inside my Grandpa's study. "Please forget about it. Can we go hunt because I am starving." He kissed my forehead and went behind a tree to phase. When he re-emerged we took off at a run towards the mountain in search of our meal.

For as long as I could remember this had been our thing, when I was younger we would go hunting together and he would make it a game to get me to drink animal blood instead of the storage of donated human blood that I knew was waiting for me at Carlisle and Esme's, but once I got old enough to enjoy the challenge of hunting against Jacob in his wolf form we made a sport out of it. He didn't realise that I had let him win more times than not but I enjoyed his pleasure at beating me. We settled into our regular pattern and once we tracked some deer we both took off in different directions to see who was quicker at catching theirs. I raced towards the smell of the deer, my mouth watering as the pounding of their hearts and the fast flow of their blood made my hunger sharper. I flew between the trees, my feet barely touching the ground as I hunted, I leapt a small stream and landed lightly on the other side. The sound and smell of the deer closer than before, there was another smell and sound discernable now, Jacob's scent was sharper when we were hunting and I could smell what some my family complained about, but to me it was the most intoxicating scent in the entire world and the sound of his large paws galloping across the carpeted floor of the forest was reassuring.

I came across the deer first and picked the one that I wanted, a large buck near the head of the pack, and I chased them without revealing myself. I grew level with the buck and waited until he crossed closer to me. I sprung from the forest, tackling him and bringing him down in a swift movement. I sunk my teeth into his jugular vein and felt the hot spray of blood as it flowed into my mouth. The sound of Jacobs' paws were louder and closer than before, his barking laugh reached my ears just as the sound of him bringing down another deer did, I glanced up from my own kill and watched lovingly as Jacob fed on his.

Night was falling quickly around us and the forest was coming to life with the small sounds of nocturnal beasts. We lay curled together watching as the stars came out to decorate the sky, I breathed in the deep aroma of the night surrounding us as I lay with my head against Jake's chest. I could hear the safe pounding of his heart and I felt more content than I had in quite a while, I drew in a deep breath and blew it out noisily. Jake dropped his arm across my chest and down onto my abdomen, and I felt my heart flutter at the contact, I snuggled in closer and turned my head to place a kiss on his jaw. I wanted to talk to him about the future but I was so relaxed and I didn't want to jeopardise the closeness we were experiencing. I needn't have worried because it soon became clear that Jake wanted to talk to me to. He pulled me tightly against him and said "Nessie, we need to talk. I want to talk about the fight that we had this afternoon, I can't always give you exactly what you want as much as I want to, please don't get upset." He held me tighter as I tensed and I guess he thought I was going to run away but I was more like Carlisle than I thought and I wanted to see where he was going. "I'm going back to Forks for a little while, I need to go see my dad; Rachel called the other day and said he wasn't doing so well, worse than what he was the last time I saw him." I relaxed my tense muscles for a fraction of a second until it sunk in that he had said _I_ and not _we_. I sat rigid against his hard body and waited for the panic to recede. It didn't, I finally succeeded in pulling away from him and I said angrily "Why can't I come with you?" As I spoke the words I felt old insecurities flood through me because I knew that I wasn't the first girl Jake loved and knowing that at one stage Jacob had loved my mother made me feel inadequate, as if the cosmos had given me to him as a consolation prize because momma had loved daddy so much. I rolled to my feet and asked "If I ask to go with you will you take me?" He considered me for a long second before dropping his head and slowly shaking it. "You have school and everything else that you need to do here. I won't be gone long, you know deep down underneath everything else that I can't stay away from you for long. Two weeks tops, I promise." I shook my head incredulously at him, how could he think that I could just continue on with my life while he wasn't there, I opened my mouth to say something else when a noise caused us both to freeze. The sound was one of tracking feet, stalking the forest. A gust of wind blew from the west and carried with it the scent of the creature stalking us, we looked at one another and Jacob rolled his eyes as we recognised the smell. Several seconds past as we waited for the creature to come closer, ten more seconds past and finally I was tired of waiting for this interruption to leave so we could continue the life changing conversation we were having in peace. I called out loudly "Seth don't you think that you're a little old for hide and seek?"

A massive shape detached itself from the trees surrounding us and stalked forward, with a hissing laugh he bounced around on the large pads of his paws indifferent to the tension. Jake had gracefully gotten to his feet and said "Why aren't you at home with Hayley?" Hayley; a gorgeous dark-haired dark-eyes seventeen year old, was the young girl that Seth had imprinted on, she came from another tribe closer to where we lived now and Seth spent the majority of his time with her even though he officially lived with Leah. Seth eyed us both cautiously as the mood finally penetrated his personal bubble, he ran back to the trees and phased before rejoining us and saying "Her father kicked me out saying that she needed to study and that I was breaking her concentration. When have I ever been a distraction?" I shot Jake a laughing look before I remembered that he wanted to leave me, even if it was only for a week, I choked the laugh short and glared silently at him. Jacob sighed in frustration before saying "Seth this isn't a good time, are you and Leah ready to leave in the morning?" I felt my heart stop when Jacob said this, he hadn't told me that he had already made plans, not such definite plans anyway. I hissed through my teeth and having been around our family long enough to get to know our moods Seth said hastily "Yep, um well I am, I'm gonna go and check that Leah is ready. See ya Nessie." I didn't even bother acknowledging him because I knew that if I spoke to him he would get the brunt of my anger and not Jacob.

I waited until the sound of Seth's large paws was a soft pounding before I rounded on Jake "How could you not tell me? You have already made plans? This isn't how it's supposed to happen, Jake, I want to come too." He came closer and gripped my shoulders, not painfully, just enough to stop me from turning away from him and said "Not everything is about you and your feelings Renesmee, I can't take you with me, I want to but I can't. How would you feel if it was your dad who was dying and you didn't go back and see him? I don't trust myself around you enough to not… I can't control… ugh!" he released me so quickly that I stumbled backwards before catching myself. I suddenly knew why he hadn't told me that he was going; he didn't trust his control to have me there within arms' reach without the supervision of my family. I took a deep stabilising breath and said "Let me come, I will stay with Charlie and spend the days with you and Billy. I miss Forks and I haven't seen anyone in ages. I promise that I will behave myself and not push the friendship. I promise Jake, please let me come with you." I could see him wavering and even before he spoke I knew that I was going to get my wish and be able to go with him. "There are conditions, only if your parents say you can come, you stay with Charlie and you promise not to push me on the sex thing." I felt disappointed that we were waiting but I really wanted to go with him so I nodded, agreeing to his terms.

The next morning dawned bright and sunny but nothing could match the joy I was feeling about heading back to Forks with Jake. There was a down side, and her name was Leah. Leah had never taken to our family in fact she barely controlled her hatred of us and she disliked, or maybe distrusted, me. When I was younger my father had sat me down and given me a rundown of pack life and he had explained about Leah and Sam and how when Sam had found Emily- who happened to be Leah's cousin and best friend- he had imprinted on her causing Leah great pain and suffering. He then told me something that I had never forgotten; Leah had hated the pain and anguish Momma had caused Jake and the rest of the tribe, they had welcomed her into their midst and entrusted tribal histories to her, not to mention the fact that Jacob had been in love with her and because of their minds being linked everyone got treated to those thoughts and feelings, and then she had turned around and married a vampire, Leah had never gotten over the betrayal and then there was the fact that her mother had married my Grandpa Charlie and she resented it. She was still around because she was part of Jake's pack and that included me. I shrugged these thoughts out of my mind and focused on the knowledge that within a couple of hours I was going to see Charlie, Sue, Billy, and the rest of the Forks Tribe.

I bounded down the stairs and out onto the front porch in time to see Rose and Em arrive, I continued my run and launched myself at Em with as much speed and force as I could muster. I may as well have hit a brick wall with a balloon for all the difference the impact made on him, he laughed and grabbed me around the waist and tossed me into the air, I squealed in delight as I soared through the air and landed safely back in his strong arms. He kissed my forehead and said "Wow Nessie that actually might have hurt if you weren't so soft." I took the insult the way it was intended, jokingly. I laughed and said "It's not my fault you can't feel anything short of a wrecking ball hitting you." My parents and Rose were laughing at our exchange but the sudden stiffening of my fathers' posture and the distant sound of tyres alerted me to the fact that the pack was coming, so I extricated myself from my uncle's arms and went and stood beside my mother, waiting for the arrival of my travelling companions.

We stood assembled waiting for less than a minute before I heard the sound of the car turning off the main road and onto the driveway that lead past Carlisle and Esme's to our front yard, something that had been done simply for this type of occasion but to my knowledge this was the first time that the road had ever been used. I felt the excitement and anticipation flooding through me, I hadn't realised how tangible this excitement was until Rose said "You really are in a hurry to escape from us, aren't you Nessie, I hadn't realised how eager to leave you were." I swallowed my excitement and turned to face half of my family, all of which had varying degrees of emotions clouding their gorgeous eyes, and I said "I'm not excited about leaving you, I'm excited about seeing everyone we had to leave behind when we moved, I miss everyone and I can't wait to see them." A small voice in my head whispered 'but it'll be nice to spend time with Jake and not have my thoughts and feelings monitored' and even as this thought formed I regretted it. I danced over to my dad's side and wrapped my arms around his waist and thought _'I didn't mean that the way it came out but'_ I didn't need to finish the rest of my thought because he had whispered "It'll be nice anyway. I'm sorry, Nessie, that you're thoughts aren't safe from me the way your mother's are. I'd give anything to be able to not hear peoples, those I love anyway, thoughts." I grinned up at him and said "I know Daddy, and I love you for it." Reaching up on my toes I kissed his jaw, the car we had heard on the road had finally pulled to a stop in the front of our house and some of the occupants disembarked. I watched as Seth bounded up the stairs and greeted each member of my family individually, even hugging my mother briefly, Leah staid in the car ignoring us as if they hadn't even stopped. Jake's broad smile made the overcast day suddenly brighter even though it wasn't his usual smile and he walked at a more sedate pace than Seth had but his greeting was just as inclusive before he backed back down the steps, they didn't have the chance to actually say anything before my father said "Billy is that bad?" I felt my heart stutter as I had a closer look at Jacob and saw that behind his gorgeous smile pain and grief dwelled within his dark eyes.

He rolled his eyes and said "Thanks Edward, yeah he is that bad. Are you ready Ness?" I nodded and said "Yep." I leant down to grab the handles of my bag but Seth was there already he smiled and said "I've got it. Let's get going." I leapt down the front stairs and wrapped Jacob in a fierce hug putting my hands on his face and showing him how badly I felt that his father was so unwell. He kissed my forehead and whispered "Thanks Ness." Looking up at my extended family he stood quietly before saying gravely "I will take care of her, nothing will happen to her while she is with me." My father stood glaring at him without saying anything but I knew, even without his special gift, that he was hearing the secret thoughts that dwelled inside our heads. I released Jacob and dashed back up the stairs and hugged him tightly before embracing my Aunt and Uncle and lastly my mother. She clasped me to her tightly and she whispered in a chocked up voice "Say hello to everyone for us, and tell Charlie and Sue that I said they need to come and visit as soon as possible because we miss them terribly." I nodded my head as tears obstructed my vision, I had never been away from my family before and it was now sinking in that I wasn't going to see them for a full fortnight. Jacob wrapped his arms around me and pulled me gently towards the car and kissing my temple he opened the door and folded me gently into the passenger seat. I waved goodbye and we drove away.

I felt the tears that I had been holding in flow down my cheeks and Jake placed one strong arm around me and said "You can stay if you want." I shook my head and through my sobs I said "No, I want to come with you it's just that I haven't ever been away from them and it feels odd." He smiled and nodded his head before saying "We'll be home again before you know it and then you'll be begging me to take you away again." I nodded and forced a smile onto my face, wiping my tears off my cheeks and watched as we sped away from our current home and towards the past.

We drove for hours before the rumbling of my stomach drew laughing glances from Jacob, he pulled into the nearest fast-food restaurant and grabbed some burgers and fries before continuing our journey towards Forks. We drove westward and after almost twelve hours on the road we finally reached Port Angeles, Washington State. As we hit the outskirts of the small tourist town I felt my excitement bubble up inside of me and I grabbed Jacobs' hand and held tightly. He shot me a small smile before returning his gaze back to the road ahead of us. We drove for another hour before we reached the road-side sign reading 'The city of Forks welcomes you – pop 3120'. The atmosphere in the car was electric and I fidgeted in my seat as we drew closer to Charlies' house, the house my mother had spent the last couple of years of her humanity living in. As we pulled up outside the two storey home in which Charlie and Sue now lived, I was practically bouncing in my seat, we had barely pulled to a stop when the front door opened and Charlie came running out followed closely by Sue. I had the door open and was racing around the front of the car, barrelling into the open arms of my loving grandfather, before the car had fully stopped. Charlie stumbled backward at my enthusiastic greeting, chuckling as he said "Wow Nessie, look at you. You've grown so much. You are looking more and more like Bels everyday." He kissed my cheek moving my body to his side and greeting the others as they made their slower exit from the car. He held out his hand and shook hands with Jacob and Seth before dropping a quick kiss on Leah's cheek, by this time Sue had reached our side and was greeting us all warmly and for the first time since we had left Forks to move away Leah smiled. She wrapped her mother in a tight embrace and I was struck by the knowledge that being away from her mother may have contributed to the fact that Leah was the surliest person that I knew.

We walked as a group inside and made our way through to the back of the house and into the kitchen, where we perched on the mismatched chairs that made up the dining furniture. We were all chatting amiably and after about an hour Jacob checked his watch and said "I've gotta get going, or Dad will be ringing demanding to know where I am." He rose from the table and shot a look at both Seth and Leah, who both rose from their respective seats and kissed their mother's cheek before filing out the door. Charlie and Sue followed them giving me and Jake some privacy, I felt tears well in my eyes at the thought that we were going to be spending the night apart, it was the first night that we had been separated, that I could remember, since I had been born and it was difficult to see him preparing to leave me, even if it was only for the night. I shuffled closer to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. I looked up into his face and said "This is harder than I thought it was going to be, I have never been more than a few feet from you during the night. I bet you I don't sleep because you're not there snoring." Jacob laughed softly and said "Me? What about you? You snore too." I felt the pout of annoyance purse my full red lips together but before I could fling a retort at him he bent down and kissed me. I crushed myself against him and ran my hands over as much of his broad shoulders and back that I could reach, he allowed this for longer than I expected but still for a shorter time than I wanted. He broke our kiss and set me away from him, our palms brushing, my thoughts shining inside his head for a brief second. His beautiful full lips pursed and his words were harsh but his eyes showed longing "I thought you were going to behave on that front?" he asked. I felt anger, and it stopped my quick response because until recently it took a lot to rouse any negative emotion in me, I took a deep breath and said as calmly as I could "I can't control what goes through my mind, can you? I can't help that I have teenage emotions and feelings, and I know that because you're older you can control them better than I can but give me a break. I am only eighteen and I have normal eighteen year olds thoughts. Don't you remember what that was like?"

As I said the words I regretted them, it was the closet I had come to reminding him that he had been a hormone driven teenager and that he had focused those hormones on my mother, and even if he did want to remember, I definitely didn't want to. I pulled away from him but not before I placed a quick kiss on his clenched jaw and moving to stand closer to the sink and further from the door (and Jacob) I said "Forget I said anything, go and see your dad and let him know that I will be down tomorrow to visit." He stood staring at me with sad eyes before he backed towards the door and said "The keys are hanging up; I know you don't need to drive and that it would probably be quicker to run but I think we should try and keep up the 'normal' appearance while we're here. 'Night Nessie, love you." I watched him as he backed further out of the room and I whispered painfully "'Night Jake, sweet dreams." He shot me a look full of longing a said quietly "They always are sweetheart because they're of you." I felt a sob rise in my throat and choked it back as much as I could, I watched him leave through tear filled eyes and the second I could no longer smell him I broke into loud wracking sobs that shook my entire body. By this time Charlie and Sue had re-entered the house, Charlie stood watching me awkwardly- probably having horrible flashbacks to when my father had left my mother and she had broken down- while Sue wrapped me in a huge hug and encouraged me to cry out all my pain. She held me until the sobs faded and sanity returned, with sanity came embarrassment at being seen like that. I hugged her back and said hoarsely "Thanks Grandma, I'm okay now. I think I might go and get ready for bed." Kissing both my Grandparents worried foreheads I grabbed my bag and fled up the stairs to the room where my mother had once slept. I dumped my bag on the floor and heeling off my shoes I flopped on the bed, closing my eyes I listen as the rain picked up and this reassuring sound helped lull me into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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><p><strong>Poor Billy :( <strong>

**Their first night apart...**

**please review**

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	8. What Do We Do Now?

**I only own the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER EIGHT<p>

What Do We Do Now?

I woke the next morning to find Jacob standing at the foot of my bed. I crouched on the balls of my feet and sprung at him, kissing every part of him that I could. It was when I kissed his lips that I realised that he wasn't returning my kisses, I stopped cold and looked into his haunted eyes, a feeling of horror ran through me and I couldn't even form the question that burned within my mind. I touched his face and was relieved to see him shake his head, he dropped his eyes and said in a low murmur "He is okay for now, he wants to see you. I don't know how much longer..." he didn't finish his words but I knew what he was saying. I sprung away from him and raced into the bathroom to get ready, today I praised the ability of speed and the fact that it took me less than ten minutes to be ready to leave.

We walked through the house, down the stairs and into the kitchen, I grabbed an apple off the counter before we exited the backdoor, I walked toward the parked car but Jacob's tug on my hand stopped me. He sighed and said "We'll use the car another time; we need to get back to Dad as soon as possible." I felt sadness and despair pressing down on me, I had never lost anyone and I wasn't ready to do it now. We hurried into the forest that cupped the edge of Charlie's land and once we were certain that no-one would see, and Jake had phased, we cut loose and raced towards Quileute land. We crossed the invisible treaty line and continued our race towards Billy's house which sat on the far side of La Push. It wasn't til we neared Billy's place that Jake stopped, he darted into some nearby trees and emerged, in human form, seconds later. I waited poised to resume our running until Jake said "Ness I need to prepare you, Dad is really sick. I have never seen anyone look so old. I know in my heart that this will be the last time that I see him but I can't accept it" He tugged me into his arms and continued "He loves you and you have a special way of making people see what's right in front of them without being pushy. I want you to 'show' him that he'd be better off in a hospital, where he can at least get the proper care. We have all tried and failed but I know you can do it." I felt the immense pressure of what he was asking me but I knew that I would do as he asked, for Billy but mainly for Jake's piece of mind. I nodded my head and said "I will do anything to help you know that." He nodded and gripping my hand we covered the last few yards to Billy's front door at human speed. I was trying to prepare myself but nothing I could have thought of would have prepared me for the shrunken skeleton of a once great man, a shrivelled frame that housed the heart of Billy Black.

When we entered his bedroom everyone that had been inside piled out if it had've been under any other circumstance I would have joked that we smelt bad but I couldn't even bring myself to smile at the people filing out, my eyes were locked on the frail face of a man who I thought of as a father figure. Tears pricked my eyes but I swallowed them away. I crossed the room and gracefully sunk into a crouch beside Billy's bed. I took his hand and let him see himself through my eyes, it was then that I saw the stubborn gleam spark to life within his dark gaze, so I moved onto my next thought_ 'Please go to a hospital'_ He raised one eyebrow as if to say 'why?' I understood where he was coming from but I had promised Jake and I wasn't going to let him down. I thought of everyone of the faces that had passed me in the doorway, lingering on the sad faces of his children, grandchildren and his friends, he shook his head and I knew that this wasn't going to change his mind. I looked over at Jake and a feeling of love welled within me and the thought of our children swam within my head and the sad fact that they weren't going to meet Billy, I had forgotten that I was holding Billy's hand until a gasp drew my gaze to his, he motioned for me to lean closer so that his weak lungs didn't have to work hard at getting the words out "Are you pregnant?" I blushed and said "No. I'm not pregnant, what gave you that idea?" I knew that Jacob had heard us because I heard his quickly indrawn breath but I ignored it and concentrated solely on Billy and his reply "You gave me that idea, Nessie. I saw what was within your head just now and I am excited to see it happen, except the 'me not being here' part." Moving back from me slightly so he could see Jacob he said "I think it's time that I went to the hospital." Jake stared open-mouthed at me before he realised what he was doing and hurrying to the bedside he said "I've got the car waiting and Rachel, Rebecca and Charlie are all waiting to come with us, Ness can I get you to wait here for me?" I nodded without looking at Jacob, and because I was too busy staring at Billy I didn't see the weird look that Jake shot me. He walked back to the door and called out for someone to open the car so that he could get Billy in there without moving him too much. I moved out of the way as Jacob came closer to the bed and scooped his father into his arms and without looking at me he strode from the room.

I waited for the rest of the day for some news from the hospital, the wait seemed interminable and I wasn't known for my patience. I decided to go for a walk along the beach and have a picnic on the shore. It was several hours later that I actually got any word of what was happening at the hospital. I was sitting on the blanket that I had grabbed from the closet in Jake's old room watching as the sun set, sending brilliant shafts of red, orange and pink to dance along my skin, and thinking about the excitement I had heard in Billy's voice when he had asked me if I was pregnant. I was contemplating this when I became aware of Jacob walking through the forest. I didn't get up to greet him because I knew, as certainly as my heart beat, that he would find me and it wasn't until he was closer that I smelt something different about him. A salty tang that wasn't normally present, I shifted on my blanket and when he came close enough he sunk down onto the rug and that was when I looked at him.

I felt my heart shatter into a thousand pieces as the waves of grief rolled off Jacob and engulfed me. Jake had never looked as devastated as he did now, his eyes were rimmed in puffy red and his lips were cracked from sucking in deep breaths. I shook my head and whispered "Jake what happened?" He turned his face towards me and the sight of his tears was like little daggers stabbing me over and over again. I gathered him into my arms and held him tightly as he spoke "We got to the hospital and they admitted him. They ran all these tests but before they could give us any diagnosis he smiled at us, closing his eyes and then the machines started beeping and we were rushed from the room. They said that they had 'done all they could for him and that if it was any consolation that he had died peacefully', yeah like that makes it any easier." I cradled his head against my breast and felt the shivering that was racing through his limbs, it had been a while since Jacob had been unable to control his emotions and this made his phasing unpredictable but I couldn't let him go. I lost track of the time as we sat huddled together on the blanket but it was dark before Jacob spoke again, I was unprepared for his next words and they slammed into me with the force of a tidal wave. "Ness what was it that Dad saw before he agreed to go to the hospital?" I swallowed and, forcing the words past my suddenly dry throat, said "I don't think it's that important Jake." His head rose up off my chest and he looked pleadingly into my eyes, I was still hesitant. He took my face in his and kissed my mouth saying "Please Ness, I need to know. He seemed so happy and at peace. If you can't tell me can you please show me?" I blew out a noisy breath and closing my eyes I placed my hand against his stubble roughened cheek and showed him the thought that I had had when touching Billy's hand.

I waited for him to start yelling at me for thinking about us when I had been brought there to help convince Billy that he needed the hospital, what I got was far more than that. I suddenly found myself flat on my back with Jacob pressing over me, I felt a flash of panic and then overwhelming desire as he kissed me and for the life of me I couldn't think of any reason that this shouldn't happen. I kissed him back, every emotion I could feel was in that kiss; sorrow at the loss of someone so dear, horror at the pain and grief that Jacob must be feeling, anger that Billy waited so long, and desire to make it all fade into the background. I knew that I should be the rational one and pull away because I knew, that when he wasn't surrounded by grief, Jacob would regret this but I couldn't force my limbs to untangle themselves from around Jake and a larger part of my hormonal brain knew that I really didn't want to. I wanted to make him feel better, I rationalized with myself, and if I felt good in the process, well that's not too bad, is it? As his large hands ran up my ribs, under my shirt, I lost all conscious thought and allowed my body to disconnect from my brain and just feel what was happening.

I wasn't sure how much time had actually passed since Jacob had come and sat beside me on that blanket but the night had deepened around us and I felt the first drops of rain caress my skin. I welcomed the feeling; it was if the universe was weeping for our loss, it felt right. I must have shifted because Jake moved away from me slightly and re-arranged his body into a sitting position, his shoulders tense and, when I moved to see his face in the sliver of moon light that shone down on us, his jaw was clenched and his eyes were closed as if he was reliving something bad. I reached out my hand to touch him and he jerked away from me as if I had electrocuted him. I heard my gasp of surprise and I felt a sudden feeling of despair. "Jake, what's wrong?" I heard my voice trembling but I didn't care, we had just shared something special and now he was treating me like this, "Is everything okay? I didn't get to tell you how sorry I am about Billy." Still no answer, I tried again "Jake, please! Why are you just sitting there?" Finally he moved and I opened my arms to welcome him back into them but he stood and jerked his clothing back on. "No, Renesmee, everything is not okay. I have just lost my father and my self-respect all in one day. So I'm thinking that everything is not okay." I reared back as if slapped and trained my eyes on his pacing figure. I couldn't understand why he was reacting this way and then it hit me, it was me, I had done something wrong and he hadn't enjoyed it, or maybe he had thought that I hadn't enjoyed it. I was so confused that I blurted out "Was it bad? Was I bad?" I watched as he covered his face with his large hands, hands that had been, moments ago, caressing my skin. I waited for his answer, my heart thudding unevenly inside my chest.

Finally he lowered his hands and stared down at me, I waited. I knew that every emotion I was feeling was written on my face but I couldn't help that the strongest emotion I felt at that time was confusion, and still I waited. He crouched down in front of me, without touching me, and whispered "Ness that was unbelievable but it shouldn't have happened. What if something goes wrong? What if I hurt you in some way? I can't believe I did that, you must think I've been waiting to get you here, alone, just to jump your bones." I shook my head as I tried to comprehend what he was saying and when I sat quietly for longer than he expected he reached a hand out to gently lift my head so he could see my face. I looked into his wounded eyes and shifted my body so I was kneeling, my eyes level with his. "You could never hurt me Jake, never, and I know that you haven't been planning this otherwise you would've taken advantage the other day while in the woods. Please Jake believe me." He didn't answer so I used the only method I could think of to get him to listen to me, I reached out my hands and placed one on either side of his face and I showed him my memory of what had just happened, everything. I showed him how loved and safe I had felt and that I had wanted it as much as he had. His eyes, which had drifted shut when I had first touched him, slowly opened. He reached up and pulled my hands away from his face, the memory suddenly interrupted, but I didn't have time to object because he leant forward and kissed me and when he spoke his voice was husky with emotion "Trust you to think that what happened here was okay." I felt embarrassed flush my cheeks and I tugged away from him, scrambling to gather my clothes and pull them on. I was panting with exertion, and anger, when I faced him again. I shoved hard against his shoulders, pushing him off the blanket and sprawling him into the sand, I snatched the blanket off the ground and started to walk away.

His gentle voice stopped me "Please Ness don't leave me." His words ripped into my heart, I was angry at him for treating me like something fragile and I hadn't stopped to think about what else Jacob was going through at that moment in time. I turned to face him and the anguish I saw in his brown eyes made my anger fade, I walked cautiously back to stand in front of him, when I stopped he looked into my face and I said "Don't apologise for what just happened, I understand the pain you're in but don't add this to it. I wish it hadn't happened out of grief for your father but I'm not sorry that it happened. I love you Jake, with all my heart and nothing you can do will change that." I leant down and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I promise that I won't expect a replay anytime soon and I will behave myself. Let's go back to the house, unless you don't want to. I can understand that." I watched in awe as he got swiftly to his feet, any time Jacob move I was amazed at the litheness of his body and the fluidness of his movements, when he reached for my hand I didn't hesitate. I placed my much smaller hand inside his and we walked –at human pace- through the forest and back to Billy's house. As we neared the small home that Jacob and Billy had shared Jake murmured in a low voice "I still can't believe that he's gone. I think he's going to wheel himself to the door and chew me out for being away for so long. I feel so guilty about not coming back sooner but I just couldn't make myself leave you, and now..." I felt the sob shake his body, I stopped walking and pulled him into my embrace, I held him until he stopped crying. After several minutes he stiffened and turned towards the road, I lifted my head and sniffed, but before I could figure out what it was that I smelt, Jacob had put me from him and said "Go inside the house and send Sam and whoever else from the pack that is in there out here. Don't ask questions now Ness, just do it." I raced for the door, already calling for Sam, he met me as I bounded up the stairs I looked at him and said "Jacob needs you!" he shot a look towards the tree line and sniffed the air. A low growl shot through his teeth and he said "Embry, Jarrod, Paul, Seth, Collin, Brady, Quill, let's go." Without asking why they all filed out of Billy's extremely crowded home. I stood staring at them as they raced towards the forest. It was as I was doing this that I caught the scent that had made Jacob so tense, I don't think it registered to me before that, because I spent so much time around vampires that I was used to the smell, but this wasn't a scent I was familiar with. It triggered a distant memory but I couldn't place it.

I wandered into the house and hugged Charlie and spoke quietly with Jacob's sisters. Emily had taken charge of everything and was preparing something for everyone to eat she bustled around the kitchen like a busy little bee but she still had time for the endless questions her children had for her. I sat watching her, thinking that this could be me in a few years. It struck me then why Jake had been so reticent down at the beach, what if we had created a life? Was I ready to deal with that? I sucked in an uneven breath; I was suddenly claustrophobic and needed some air. I walked away from the crowded house and went to sit on the bumper of one of the numerous cars parked out front. I sat this way for what seemed like hours before a sound in the forest drew my gaze. The pack emerged from the forest together and unharmed, I released a sigh I hadn't realised I had been holding and waited for them to get closer. Jacob broke away from the pack and came to sit beside me, the others walked up the front steps and disappeared within the house, I waited until we were alone before I spoke "Is everything okay? Did you find the vampire?" He turned his head to look at me and I knew by the look that was on his face that it hadn't surprised him that I knew where they had gone. He shook his head saying "Nah it got away but if it comes back we'll be ready for it." I hugged him closer, careful not to touch his bare skin. I didn't want him knowing that I had, finally, realised how big a change we may have made in our relationship.

The next few hours flew by, what with having dozens of people coming to offer their condolences and ringing my parents, who had promised that they would be there in the morning to be with us, and dealing with all the rituals that had to be followed, not to mention having to avoid touching anyone's bare skin for fear of showing them something. By the time the last people had left and Jacob and I were alone, I was exhausted emotionally and physically. I slumped down on the sofa and closed my eyes. Jake came and sat beside me, taking my hand in his. I carefully blanked my mind so it didn't reveal my thoughts. I waited for him to speak and when he did I was taken by surprise "Nessie I don't want you to go home. Stay with me." My thoughts were of sleeping on the couch and it must have slipped through my control because he chuckled dryly "I think we're past you needing to sleep on the couch. I promise that I won't touch you but I need you there. I want to hold you while we sleep, please Ness." I closed my eyes and without thinking of the consequences I said "Let's go to bed Jake."

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><p><strong>Poor Billy :( I hated killing him off but it worked...<strong>

**Renesmee finally got what she wanted but at what cost?**

**Please Review**

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	9. Oops

__**I only own the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER NINE<p>

Oops!

The next morning dawned and the rain that had threatened the night before was pounding against the roof and flooding the front yard, I sighed when I realised that we had only slept for four hours, I tried to roll over but the weight of Jacob's arm held me pinned to his side. I gave up trying to move it and snuggled back into slumber. It was some time later that I heard a furious hiss and felt the sudden lightness of the mattress as Jake's weight was ripped from it, forgetting that I was only dressed in a borrowed shirt –one that I could have worn as a dress- I jumped into a crouched position in time to see my father drag Jacob from the room. I raced after them demanding that he stop, I followed them from the house and out into the yard and the driving rain, yelling the entire way for my father to stop. My screams drew the startled gaze of the rest of my family and it was then that I registered what my father had seen. "Daddy Stop it. Don't hurt him. Nothing happened!" I felt a guilty flush warm my skin at the outright lie and wasn't surprised to hear his growl as the lie registered with him and he snarled "Emmett hold her and don't let her go." I felt the steel bands of Em's arms and I struggled against them, crying out for my father to stop. It was as the tears started down my cheeks, mingling with the rain that was flowing down, that my mother stepped in and with a restraining hand she said "Edward stop, you couldn't live with yourself if you killed him." It seemed like her words had succeeded where mine had failed and he dropped Jacob into the mud. Jacob rolled away from him and bounded to his feet coming to my side, he snarled at my captor, which only succeeded in Em gripping me tighter, effectively cutting off my oxygen. I gasped and Jacob cried "Let her go you're killing her." I felt the arms binding me suddenly release me and I fell forward, expecting to hit the ground, gasping for air. I was stopped from hitting the ground by Jacob's strong arms coming around me and cradling me closer. I buried my face into his bare chest and it was then that I realised that Jacob slept naked.

Startled I looked up into his eyes and said "Jake! You're naked." Emmett's chuckle came from behind me along with a snarl from my parents. Jacob looked down into my upturned face and said, unashamedly, "It got too hot in the bed to wear clothes. With both our heat it was uncomfortable." I smiled lovingly into his eyes, pressing my hand against his bare hip, showing him that I understood what he meant. I pulled myself free from his grip and turned to face my family, making sure that I kept my body between them and my naked boyfriend, I took in the strained looks on their faces before Jasper made everyone feel calm and in control. I sucked in a deep breath and smiling brightly, as if they hadn't caught me in bed with a naked man, I said "Hey guys, you got here quicker than we expected."

"We are not staying and neither are you!" my father had quickly regained control of his temper but it still raged inside him; he reminded me of a volcano, quiet on the outside but dangerous on the inside. I rounded on him and yelled "The hell I'm not. I am staying here, Billy's funeral is in three days and if you think that I am going to leave Jacob then you're crazy. This (waving my hands to indicate Jake and me) isn't what you think it is. It was so late last night and I was so tired that I couldn't be bothered to go back to Grandpa's, I don't see what the problem is Jake and I've slept together before." As I said the words I realised how they could be taken but I didn't care, he was blowing this all out of proportion. His growl was fierce and would have had any normal sane vampire running from him but I wasn't just anyone I was his daughter and he was going to listen to me. "We have all slept in the same room before and nothing happened, last night was exactly the same, we needed comfort and we got it from sharing a bed. Not having sex, but sleeping together, you know just lying beside one another listening to each other's breathing and, in our case, our hearts beating. It was innocent and you over-reacted, as usual. When are you going to realise that I'm not a little girl anymore?" I was breathing hard and I could feel Jacob's arm around my stomach, whether they were supporting me or stopping me from attacking my father, I wasn't sure.

It was my mother that spoke next and her words were harsh and un-friendly "Jacob we trusted you, how could you do this? What were you thinking?" I was about to interrupt but Jake's next words had me staring at both of them. "I don't know Bella, what was I thinking that night in the blizzard when we shared a sleeping bag? What about those times we fell asleep in front of the TV wrapped in one another's arms? Nothing happened then and nothing happened now. It was for comfort and support." My mother growled at Jacob and I pulled away from him and turning to stare at him I whispered "You slept with my mom?" I felt sick to my stomach and I could feel the bile rising in the back of my throat, he made a grab for me but I danced out of his reach, his look was one of sorrow and I was wondering if it was because he regretted saying anything now or for not telling me sooner. I put both hands up in front of me, warning him to stay away, he didn't listen. He came closer and closer until he stopped directly in front of me. He was so close that I had to tilt my head all the way back to see his face, his hand clamped around my chin to stop me from looking away from him. He spoke slowly, through clenched teeth "Not in the way you're thinking but yes your mother and I have slept together, actually your father was there so he can back me up. I have never made love with anyone else." I watched as what he had said sank in to his head and he closed his eyes because he knew that super-vampiric hearing would have picked up his poor choice in words, not to mention that the second he looked at me I had seen flash-backs of what had happened down at the beach. I knew that my family now knew for sure that we had lied, something had happened. I pulled out of his grasp and whirled to face my family, every face sombre except Emmett's who had a smirk plastered on his. I wanted to go running to my mother but her guilty expression triggered my anger. "I am staying for Billy's funeral" looking back at Jacob I continued "I will be staying on Quileute lands but I am not staying with you, I am going to stay with Emily and Sam. After the funeral I am going home, you can either come or stay but... I can't do this. Excuse me." I raced back within the house and threw on some clothes before I fled without talking to any of them again.

When I arrived at Sam and Emily's they were waiting for me, and I guessed that someone had called them and filled them in on what had happened. Sam stood staring at me with a reproachful gaze while Emily rushed down the stairs and gathered me into her arms. She pulled me towards the house all the while muttering inane things and trying to make me feel better. I didn't have the heart to tell her that it wasn't working. I stowed my bags in the room that Emily proudly claimed would be the nursery for the new baby, I hugged her, congratulating her all the while worrying about my own chances to have baby's. We chatted about the kids and she was telling me that as long as vampires were not making regular trips to Forks her kids would be wolf free, if they came back then the gene would be triggered and the next generation would be enlisted to help protect the tribe. I wondered if I counted but considering that I was only one in a handful of creatures like me I didn't really have anyone to ask.

The next two days were excruciating, Jacob came by frequently but I refused to see him, the arrangements for Billy's funeral were completed and I remained hiding out in my adopted room. There was a knock my door and I called "Come in." Expecting it to be Emily but when the door opened and it was Sam; he stood, looking awkward about entering a girls' bedroom, I waited for him to cross the threshold and tell me what had brought him here. He stood statuesque, his eyes darting around frantically without actually settling on me. I waited for another ten seconds before my thin patience wore out and I snapped "What do you need Sam?" he cleared his throat and finally made his way into the room and perched uncomfortably on the end of my bed, I waited because I had learned nothing else than Sam only spoke when he felt the absolute need. He opened his mouth and groaned "God I wish you had your father's ability that would make this so much easier." I had never heard any of the pack say that about my father so my interest was doubly peaked. He shifted again to get comfortable and I patted his hand, some of my irritation must have lingered in the touch because he said "Or even what you can do, that way I wouldn't need to say it I could just think it and we'd be good." I knew that whatever Sam had come to say was important and I had an idea about what he wanted to talk about and I also knew that I didn't want to talk about it. I opened my mouth to speak and it remained open as Sam spoke "I know that you and Jacob have had sex, and I know that you're angry about him and your mom but you need to understand something, Jacob never loved your mother the way he loves you." I made an angry noise to interrupt him and he said "You're forgetting that I know his thoughts. I was there when he thought that your mother was the only person that he'd ever love and let me tell you that the feelings that Jake has for you are a million-trillion times the ones he had for your mother. Yes it pained him that she loved another and it drove him to do some crazy things but I have never seen Jacob as broken as he is now. His father died three days ago and you, his entire life, have refused to see him because of some misguided feelings. I know the pain that Jacob is feeling now because it is something he can't hide from me, and you are making it worse by not going and talking to him. Sort this out, for all of our sakes and if you are... well let's just say that you're going to need him... and he needs you. He is in pain Renesmee and some of that is your fault." He didn't wait for me to speak he finished his speech and walked out of the room.

I sat in silence as I contemplated what Sam had just said to me, I knew he was right but I was stubborn enough to not want to admit it. I got off the bed and paced the small space, my movements agitated and erratic. In the end I gave up and raced from the room, I hadn't set a course but my body knew where I wanted to be, even if I my mind refused to go there. I found myself climbing the stairs to Billy's front door and walking in, I found Jacob sitting on his fathers' sofa, crying; the sound of his tears ripped my frail composure to bits. I ran to his side and gathered him into a hard hug, kissing his face and murmuring nonsensical words to calm him down. He gripped me tightly and through his tears whispered "I am so sorry, I never want you to leave me again, I can't function without you, Sam has been yelling at me for days to make this right but every time I came to see you, you refuse to see me. I was getting desperate enough that I asked Sam for some help." I broke out of his hold and held him at arms' length and said "You should have told me, but Sam explained something to me today and it's something I've always known, it just sunk in that little bit more. You love_ me_ not my mother, _me_!" the force of my discovery was so compelling that I climbed onto his lap and kissed him until we were both panting with need. He pulled his mouth away from the hollow of my neck and whispered "I do love you more than life itself and nothing will ever change that." He returned his mouth to mine and kissed me fiercely. I wasn't surprised when he lifted me into his arms and carried me into the bedroom.

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><p><strong>Please review<strong>

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	10. How Do You Say Goodbye?

**I only own plot :) hope you enjoy**

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><p>CHAPTER TEN<p>

How Do You Say Goodbye? Oh How About Marry Me!

The morning of the funeral dawned sunny and dry. We drove to the cemetery a large procession of cars led by the hearse. The ceremony itself was short and because Billy had shunned tradition by getting cremated we weren't required to stand around his open grave, which I was thankful for. Graves had always unnerved me. Rebecca, her husband Nate and their twins; along with Rachel and Paul who, were expecting their second child, stood holding their little girl in their arms and beside them stood Jacob and I, we greeted everyone and accepted their condolences as they arrived at the community hall for the wake. It was here that I saw my parents for the first time since our fight; they were accompanied by the rest of my family who stood towards the rear of the hall, avoiding the other mourners as the other mourners avoided them. Eventually it was only the pack and my family left and we decided to go back to Billy's and celebrate his life the way he would've wanted, by watching football. We were all filing out of the hall when my parents stopped both Jacob and I, I moved closer to Jacob fearing they might snatch me and run, of course my father heard this thought and he smiled a tiny crooked smile before saying "We won't make you leave Ness. We learnt our lesson the other day." I rushed into his embrace and grabbing my mother's hand I whispered "I missed you both so much, I hated not speaking to you, I over-reacted." My mother snorted and said "Yes, it's something you inherited from your father." We laughed as my father pretended to look offended. Jacob spoke softly "Edward?" I, obviously, missed the rest of the question but the look on my father's face had me concerned about how long this relaxed and pleasant mood could last. Eventually my father nodded and taking my mother by the arm he said quietly "We will see you both back at Billy's. Jacob don't mess it up." I watched them go and when the car had rounded the corner and I could no longer see them I turned to Jacob and asked "What was that all about?"

Suddenly Jacob looked sheepish, he was dressed in a dark suit, looking every inch as if he belonged on the cover of a magazine, and he said "I was asking him something, and I probably should have done it earlier, but better late than never, right?" I looked at him, confused, what was he babbling about? I waited as patiently as I could for him to explain his statement and when he didn't I said "What should you have asked him ages ago?" I was surprised when he released my hand and started to pace up and down in front of me and when he remained silent I started to get nervous, then suddenly he started to talk and it took all of my concentration to keep up with what he was saying. "Well you only have one more term of school left and you want to go to college and we can't be without one another and we can't just shack up together and I wanted his permission because that is the way it's done and I didn't get to get my father's blessings, even though he loved you and wanted me to be happy." He suddenly stopped and took a deep breath before saying slowly and precisely "Renesmee Carlie Cullen will you marry me?"

I was stunned, I knew he loved me and that eventually we'd get married but I didn't think that it would be so soon. I had so many questions whirling around inside my head one standing out the most. I walked closer to him and placed my hand on his face _'Is this because we slept together?'_ I wanted him to want to get married not out of some misplaced sense of duty. He laughed and said "No that isn't the reason, although it's probably a good reason, the reason I am asking is because I spent two days without you and I almost went crazy. I want you there by my side forever." I nodded and looking him in the eye I said "Jacob Black I would love to marry you." He whooped with delight and crushed me against him in a bear hug. He danced around the hall saying "We'll do it as soon as possible, and then we can get a place together and spend the rest of our lives happy." I laughed at his antics even though his statement had sent doubts flowing through my head. I kissed him and said "Okay, okay, put my down you're making me nauseous." When he had set me on my feet I pulled his body closer to mine and said "Do we tell everyone now? I mean, is this the right time to tell everyone something so happy at a time that is so sad?" he frowned slightly at my hesitant tone before saying "Ness this is the perfect time. There had never been a better time. Dad wanted me to be happy and you make me happy. Trust me this is what he wanted it was practically the last thing he said to me." He stopped speaking as he realised what he had said but it was too late, I raised one eyebrow and asked "Are you only doing this because of Billy?" He shook his head, his hair flopping into his eyes, and said "You should know that I don't do anything that I don't want to do, Ness. Please don't think that I don't love you enough to want to marry you on my own merit. Let's go and tell everyone." He tugged me towards the door and we ran through the rain to the waiting car.

The ride back to Billy's was quiet but not in an awkward way, we were both relaxed enough to just watch the scenery fly by the speeding cars' window. We pulled into the front yard of Billy's house and getting out of the car we walked into the house hand in hand. As we walked into the house everyone fell silent, if I hadn't been so worried that everyone would think that we were being selfish I would have found it extremely weird, I looked up into Jake's face and he leant down and kissed my forehead saying quietly "It's okay, just remember to breath." I nodded and took an obedient breath. Jacob watched me do this and smile in encouragement before turning to the waiting crowd and saying "We have an announcement, we know that today had been difficult for everyone but we wanted you all to be the first to know" at this he shot my father a sly look before continuing "that Ness has agreed to do me the honour of being my wife. We're getting married." The cheer that erupted from the amassed crowd surprised me. I wasn't expecting such an overwhelming excitement from everyone, including my family. We stood and accepted everyone's congratulations before someone bought out the food and drink and the party Billy would have wanted really got under way.

Our lives returned to normal in the weeks following Billy's death and Jacob's surprise proposal, everything was exactly as it had been before our trip to Forks, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief when two weeks after returning from Forks I got my period. I knew deep down that Jacob wouldn't be ready for that big of a step in our relationship. I returned to school and Jacob returned to the college and life moved on. Before we knew it winter was upon us, Billy had been dead for three months, and Christmas was only weeks away, Jacob and I were lying on his bed, although supportive my parents didn't allow us to share a bed, listening to the sound of snow falling down outside. I was enjoying the quiet and rejoicing that I had finished high school when Jacob sighed deeply and said "Hey Ness don't you think it'd be great to set a date, you know to get married." I sighed out loud and wished that he hadn't bought it up, I was in no hurry to get married but I knew it meant something to him and to the rest of the world, so I said "How about next Christmas, that's a year. That gives us plenty of time to organise things and for everyone to organise themselves so they can come down and laugh at us in formal clothes." I could almost hear his eyes rolling as I suggested a years' wait, I knew he wanted to do it sooner but I just wasn't ready and if I was honest with myself I wanted to put it off as much as possible, he rolled over to face me and said "How about this Christmas?" I laughed until I realised he was serious; I panicked and said the first thing that popped into my head "I don't have a dress." He chuckled and said "With the money your family has I'm sure that you can find a dress without any trouble." With a sinking feeling I knew that no matter what discouraging ideas I threw at him that he would have an answer for them so taking a deep breath I said "Sure, why not." He gathered me close and I soon forgot my misgivings.

That was how I come to be standing in what could possibly be my worst nightmare, a dress shop filled with giggling shop assistants and miles and miles of lace and tulle. Not just any dress shop, a bridal dress shop. I was accompanied by the females in my family Grandma Esme, Rose, Alice and Momma who all seemed oblivious to the fact that I was hyperventilating by the time we had reached the doors, let alone by the time we got to try anything on. Like Mom and Dad's wedding Alice had been given free reign over decorations and guest lists and all the trivial things that come with a wedding. We had decided to avoid the weird questions over a teenage bride that Mom would be the one trying on the dress but considering she only looked slightly older than me we still got strange looks. One thing cured the looks and that was the wad of cash Rose handed the manger so that we could close the shop until we found 'the' dress and considering that between everyone the marriage total (even if they had married the same person) was close to twenty times, they still seemed to get excited about the whole thing. Well except Mom, she understood why I was reluctant to stand in front of everyone and be the centre of attention, but there was a part of this that I hadn't even allowed myself to think in any one else's presence. I was terrified that we were making a mistake. I knew I loved Jacob and that he loved me, that wasn't the issue, the issue was why we couldn't wait. I wanted to make him happy and if this made him happy than this was what I'd do.

Once everyone had cleared the shop, which happened in record time, Momma was the centre of attention. I had final say on the dress, even though I really didn't care, so started the parade of dresses. For nearly an hour we stood while they primped and preened my mother and she modelled what seemed like a million dresses. They had just taken her to undress her and my attention wandered. It was as I was doing this that I spotted a dress that made my heart stop and beat double time. It was an ivory bodice and skirt, the skirt was full and swayed like a bell, the bodice was lace up in the back and both the bodice and the skirt had intricate beading and crystals that reflected the light. I pulled it from the rack and stood staring at it, the manager came over and said "With your sisters colouring that might make her look washed out." I looked away from the dress and shot a pleading look at Alice, who even though she couldn't read minds knew what I wanted, she danced to our side and laughing said "Hey Ness why don't you try in on, you know just for fun." The manager tried to hide the frown of disapproval at trying dresses on just for fun but with the amount of money the store had been given she ushered me into the fitting room and another assistant helped me into the bodice and skirt. The instant I put it on I fell in love. It fit me like it had been made for me and when I looked in the mirror I was stunned to see a smiling person staring back at me. I lifted the front of the skirt and walked gingerly out to my waiting family, as I stepped through the fitting room doors every head turned in my direction, and for once I didn't mind. My family stood motionless and as I neared the little dais I heard the manager murmur "She looks divine. If she was getting married than she wouldn't need to look for any other dress." I smiled serenely and looked for Momma, she walked up to the side of the podium and I reached for her hand, she smile beatifically as I thought _"I love this dress, can I please get this one? I feel like a bride should feel."_ I turned and walked off the podium and back into the fitting rooms. By the time I had redressed in my own clothes and walked back out to the display room the dress had been boxed and paid for and my family were ready to leave.

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><p><strong>Reluctant to the last second... sounds like her mother<strong>

**please review**

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	11. Here Comes The Bride Sort Of

**I only own the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER ELEVEN<p>

Here Comes The Bride… Sort Of

Not all of my misgivings had disappeared but my anxiousness had diminished slightly since finding the dress. It was like the dress had been a piece of the puzzle and now all the other pieces were falling into place. Jacob and I were spending more time together, if that was possible, and our loving aura wasn't always welcome in the home. So we found ourselves running through the forest until we found a quiet spot, a tiny little alcove with its own little waterfall. It was here that we spent the time alone that we had together. It was peaceful and far enough away from everyone that we didn't bother them. The date we had set was only a week away and all of our families were going to be there, it never ceased to amaze me just what having limitless resources could achieve, whatever problem had cropped up Alice had literally thrown money at it and they seemed to disappear; no seats on flights, money thrown problem gone, the hall we wanted to rent out, booked, money thrown problem solved, I felt guilty because of the people that this had disadvantaged but Alice drew me aside and said "Ness do you seriously think that I didn't make other arrangements for the people who we, well I guess, shafted is the word to use? How heartless do you think I am?" I spluttered and apologised, feeling bad that I had thought that she could be so thoughtless.

The wedding was prowling closer and closer and with every passing day I felt more tense and anxious. Two days before the wedding, and a week before Christmas, I found myself alone in Jacob's and my special spot, I was lying on the edge of the tiny pool watching the waterfall splash noisily into the surrounding stillness, rippling outward in concentric circles. I was contemplating this when I heard the sound of running feet, I sat still and sniffed the air. I recognised the scent and flopped back down into my reclining position. I lay still and waited for my hunter to find me. He broke through the underbrush to my right and I watched through half closed lids as he stalked closer. I held my breath and waited for him to reach me, my heart, ignoring my command to remain beating at a normal rate, began racing at the thought of him touching my skin. I refused to open my eyes and I achieved this until I felt the first light touches of his hand on the side of my neck. I cracked open one eye in time to see his gorgeous face blur as he leant forward and kissed my cheek softly. I felt my breathing hitch in my chest and I knew he had heard it because he chuckled and continued his gentle assault. I rolled onto my back and opened my arms welcoming him into my embrace, he smiled down into my, now open, eyes and said "Hey honey, how was your day?"

I laughed, the question was so old fashioned and I wasn't expecting it, and said "Long, I missed you. I didn't think you finished until later this afternoon." He was placing small kisses along my jaw line as I was speaking but he paused and said "Ness it's almost dusk." His reply surprised me, I hadn't realised that I had been laying here for as long as I had. "Oh well then I guess we better be heading home soon." I sensed his reluctance and pulled him closer, he groaned and whispered in my ear "I better move away from you, we both agreed to not, you know, until the wedding. I already put you at risk once and I won't do it again until... well I won't do it again." He sounded so sincere that I nodded in agreement; my brain was agreeing with him but apparently my body had stopped listening to me, my hands rubbed along the smooth muscles of his back, pulling him closer. I kissed his mouth and groaned when his tongue swept the seal of my lips, I opened to him and whispered his name, pin-pricks of colour burst behind my closed eyelids and the warmth we generated could probably have kept a small village warm during the dead of winter.

Afterwards we lay cuddled in each others' embrace, I knew he regretted the fact that we hadn't waited until the wedding but I knew that two days wasn't going to make a big difference. My brain had realised something that I know my heart had already know for some time, I wanted to marry Jacob and be his wife and have his children. There was nothing else in the world that I wanted more. I closed my eyes and relaxed the tight hold on my thoughts that I had been exercising, I wasn't afraid of getting married or starting a family, Jake and I had forever (literally) together and there wasn't anyone else I wanted to spend that time with, there had never been anyone else. I heard a chuckle rumble through Jacob and I lifted my head to look questioningly at him, he saw my look and said "About time Renesmee." Stunned I sat up straighter and said "About time for what?" He pulled my face closer to his and said "About time that you finally realise that this marriage isn't a death sentence, it's a celebration, and about time that you decided to tell me about your concerns." I moved my away from his bare skin and whispered dejectedly "You've just seen everything that I've tried to hide since your Dad died, haven't you?" He smiled sadly and said "Yeah, why didn't you tell me you were scared? You should never feel you need to hide things from me. We are soul mates Nessie and there is no tomorrow for me without you, so promise me no more secrets. If you have a fear, tell me about it and I'll try to help you get past it." I nodded and said "I am excited about the wedding and I promise no more secrets from now on." He grinned at me and pulled me closer, the spark in his eyes burnt away the last tiny feelings of hesitation that I was feeling and suddenly all I was left feeling was nervousness. I was getting married in 48 hours.

I woke bright and early the next morning, I checked the watch on my wrist, a present from Jake on my last birthday; it read just before five in the morning. I bounded down the stairs and out of my parents' house, I knew they weren't asleep but I knew Jacob was and I didn't want to wake him. I took off towards Carlisle and Esme's house; I wanted to talk to Carlisle about something that had occurred to me in the tiny hours of the morning while my parents had been hunting. I broke through the trees near their house and wasn't at all surprised to see Carlisle waiting for me, he opened his arms and I raced into them for a quick hug. He smiled down at me and kissed my cheek softly, I asked "How did you know I was coming?" and before he could say anything I said "Alice!" he laughed and said "Yeah, she was checking something and suddenly she couldn't see anyone, so we figured..." I laughed and said "Yeah, sorry about that. I hope it wasn't anything too important that she was looking for, because I can come back later if you'd prefer." He reached down and grabbed my hand and every one of my jumbled thoughts raced into his head, his eyebrows rose and his perfect brow creased before he said "I hadn't thought about that, let's go and see if we can find out. We had a surprise guest arrive last night." I crinkled my forehead and gingerly sniffed the air. The scent wasn't one that I recognised, well not in the sense that I could tell who it belonged to but I knew that I had smelt it before. Since I was already holding Carlisle hand he heard the question within my mind and said "Nahuel arrived about three hours ago, your parents are already here. If you want privacy to ask your questions then I suggest that the three of us go for a hunt and we will have relative privacy." I knew he meant that no matter how far away we got Daddy would still know what we discussed and I said to him "That's okay, Daddy would be the person I went to if I knew he could find out the answers, since I know that he can't and that you can't do it on your own I am willing to ask these things of Nahuel. Let's go."

We entered the house and bypassed the large living area and headed towards the kitchen. It wasn't til we were there that I thought about what Nahuel was doing there. I got my answer as we walked through the kitchen door and every head turned in our direction, Nahuel jumped lithely to his feet and with his movement came a snarl from my father. I was puzzled and went to stand by him, I grazed his hand and he said "Ness, you remember Nahuel. He has come to ask you something." I shook my head in confusion and said "Okay, I suppose that works out well. I have some things I need to ask him to." My family all look amazed at that statement but I ignored them and turning to Nahuel I said "Hi, it's been ages since we've seen you. How have you been?" I felt slightly uncomfortable at the way he was staring at me and with the stretching silence came an increase in my uncomfortableness. It took Nahuel several seconds to speak and when he did his deep voice was agitated and slightly breathless. "It is a pleasure to meet you again Renesmee. As your father has indicated I have indeed come to ask you something but he said that it is too late, however I do not believe this." I looked pointedly at him, waiting for him to continue his monologue. I wasn't prepared for what came out of his mouth next "Renesmee, I understand that this comes as a surprise and that we haven't seen each other in years and that we don't know one another but we are alike and I believe that we would make a handsome couple." I felt my mouth drop open and I just stood in shocked silence and stared at him. I forced my mouth closed and when I believed I had enough control over my brain to speak I said "What?" I closed my eyes and thought 'way to act like a bimbo Ness, well done'. Shaking my head, I tried again "Sorry Nahuel but it sounded like you were asking me to marry you." That was better, I thought to myself, much smarter and not as vague. I looked around at my family, waiting for them to yell surprise, and when none of them moved their gazes from either of us I turned my eyes back to Nahuel who nodded, pleased that I had gotten the gist of what he wanted, and moved towards me. I backed away as far as the kitchen would allow and when the wall stopped my retreat I started shuffling sideways, towards the door, but suddenly that exit was blocked too. It was blocked by a mountain of warm flesh that was vibrating, a loud ferocious rumble sounding from within its chest. My eyes flew up to look into Jacobs' fierce face and I felt my heart thump loudly in the suddenly claustrophobic confines of the kitchen. I turned towards Jake and pushed my hands against his bare chest, my desperation in getting him out of the kitchen made him even more furious at Nahuel. He growled "What the hell is he doing here?" I placed myself between Jake and the snarling Halfling and said "Jake let's go, it doesn't matter why he's here." I pushed hard against his chest, only succeeding in moving myself, I wanted to get him out of the kitchen before Nahuel actually repeated his disastrous question; I hadn't counted on Nahuel being so stubborn. His deep voice snapped across the space between us "I have come to ask Renesmee to marry me." I sighed in frustration and dropped my head, the muscles under my palms quivered more intensely and I knew from experience just how quickly Jake could lose his temper. I closed my eyes swiftly before opening them and looking up into the face of the man I loved. With forceful determination I removed my hands from Jake's body and turned my back toward him. I grabbed his hand so that he could hear my thoughts as I said to the being in front of me "Nahuel, I am sorry that you've come all this way but Jacob and I are getting married tomorrow. I love him and I could never love anyone else." The quivering at my back subsided and I breathed a sigh of relief as Jacob calmed down. I looked directly into Nahuel's face and continued "I am flattered and you are more than welcome to stay but please believe me when I tell you that _we_" I pointed between him and myself "have no chance of ever happening."

I watched Nahuel as he nodded his head and when I knew he finally understood I re-focused all of my attention on Jake. He was still shivering, like a person who had a fever, his eyes were bright and his lips were still pulled up baring his teeth. I ignored our company in the kitchen and said "Jake do you wanna come hunt?" my voice didn't seem to penetrate the angry fog that I could see swirling within his mind but I tried again, using every gift at my disposal, I placed one of my soft hands against his bare chest and flashed him an image of our special place. I leant up on the tips of my toes and kissed his jaw. The quivering had slowed but not stopped and the anger was fading enough for him to be able to look down at me and say "Nessie, honey don't take this the wrong way but I think I need a little time to myself." I was hurt, of course, but if time was what Jacob needed than that is what I'd give him. The upside of this was that Carlisle and I would be able to talk to Nahuel and I would finally get some answers.

I nodded at Jake and whispered "It's alright Jake, go and do what you need to, I'll be here when you get back." He shot a livid glare at Nahuel before dropping a quick possessive kiss on my mouth and leaving the room. I felt the room exhale as if it had been waiting for a massive fight and I had diverted it. I closed my eyes and rubbed my hand over them, if I had ever had to guess what a headache felt like then I'd say this was it. The tension had left a strange thumping behind my eyes. I watched Jacob leave before turning to Nahuel, who quickly hid his look of disappointment and, I was sure, disgust, before saying "Okay we need to talk. Carlisle and I have some questions and we figured that you were the only person we knew who could answer them, so it was fortuitous that you arrived when you did." A shadow passed over his face so quickly I thought that I might have imagined it, I shot a swift look at my father and he looked confused by whatever it was that he had just heard within Nahuel's head, but whatever he had thought couldn't have been bad because Daddy would have said something to us; so I ignored the strange feelings I was getting from the only other creature like me I had ever met. I pulled my mind back to the present and focused on getting the answers I needed, and said "Do you mind if we pick your brain?" he shot an incredulous look at my father and I laughed shortly before saying "I mean in a none mind reading capacity, as in I will ask you a question and maybe you can give me an answer, no-one but Carlisle will be there. Plus he has, being the smartest person I know, sorry Daddy, a thousand questions of his own to ask." Nahuel seemed slightly more relaxed at this idea and I guess being surrounded by eight strong vampires would put anyone off talking. The rest of my family filed out of the kitchen, all of them saying various goodbyes to Nahuel; within seconds the kitchen was empty except for the three of us.

We, Nahuel and I, sat down at the table and stared awkwardly at one another. Carlisle prowled the outer perimeter, he passed my chair and I grabbed his hand. I couldn't begin this conversation, I was to uncomfortable, how did you ask a complete stranger (one who had just asked you to marry him) whether or not something weird will happen if you have sex with another being. Carlisle laughed and said "Nahuel as you now know Renesmee is getting married, tomorrow, and the questions we have are of a rather personal nature. I have exhausted all of my research and you may be our last hope." Nahuel sat quietly for a split-second before saying "The one who was in here earlier, the one who you are marrying?" I nodded and smiled, I opened my mouth to speak but Nahuel cut me off "He isn't completely human, is he?" I shook my head and said "No Jacob is a..." Nahuel spoke over me again "I remember him from the fight. Shape-shifters I recall your father saying they were." I nodded again, pleased that I didn't have to explain Jacob and the whole werewolf thing but irritated because Nahuel was speaking over me and not waiting for me to answer the questions he was asking me, I had almost forgotten that Nahuel had been there in that field when we had faced the Volturi. Nahuel sat staring at me out of the corner of his eye but he spoke to Carlisle "What are these questions you have of me?"

I sucked in a lungful of air and swallowed hard as Carlisle said "We are curious about you and your siblings. You said that your siblings were not raised the same way that you were and that they _tricked_ humans into mating with them, we were wondering if any of your sisters had ever had a child. We were also wondering if they had been pregnant, at the length of the pregnancy_,_ the rate of growth of the foetus and also the delivery technique." Carlisle paused in his questions as if he was trying to remember what else he wanted to ask but I had one question I wanted to know more than anything so I interrupted and said "I want to know if the child was human or vampire or a Halfling like us." Nahuel closed his eyes and said "One of my sisters' has had a pregnancy. She seduced a human man and found herself pregnant. She was pregnant for about three months and she delivered the child, well had the child removed from her. One of my other sisters' ripped it out. A boy, a Halfling like us; He reached full growth within seven years of his birth and has more of a human diet than that of my sisters. As for any child that you may have" Nahuel finally turned to stare fully at me and his eyes bored into mine and I held my breath as I waited for him to continue and when he did my trapped breath rushed from my body. "I am certain it will be a freak like its parents. Excuse me, I am leaving." I sat stunned and watched as he flew out of the house as if the hounds of hell were on his tail.

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><p><strong>Jeez harsh much? Nothing like a pissed of halfling<strong>

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**Cherie**

**xxx**


	12. Normality Is There Such A Thing?

**I own the plot :) Only a short chapter this time round**

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><p>CHAPTER TWELVE<p>

Normality… Is There Such A Thing?

I felt my breath wheezing in and out of my lungs, from a distance I heard Carlisle come and stand behind me and gently force my head between my parted legs. I didn't resist the pressure, Nahuel's final words rang loudly within my brain and I felt sick with the pain they caused me. I slowly lifted my head and looked into the stunned face of Carlisle he opened and closed his mouth several times but no sound came out. I pushed away from the table and fled the house. I felt tears of rage, fear and pain sliding down my cheeks, my breathing sawing in my lungs. I ran until my legs couldn't run any more, finally I collapsed in a huddle and cried myself out. I didn't want to acknowledge the poisonous words that Nahuel had uttered and yet I couldn't escape them. I could still hear that cruel jibe as it echoed within the confines of my mind, I knew that I should have stayed and spoken to my family but I couldn't handle the looks they would throw my way. I knew Carlisle well enough to know that the second I raced from the house he would have contacted the family, and I knew that I didn't have much time to compose myself before either my father or Jacob found me. There was a tiny voice inside my head that whispered that maybe Nahuel was right and that Jacob and I were pushing our luck by being together, I squashed it because I knew that the cosmos wanted us to be together otherwise he couldn't have imprinted on me. I lay huddled on the floor of the forest as the world welcomed another day, the sun rising quickly in the east, shining rays of strengthening golden light down on my prone form.

The sound of walking penetrated my sorrow and when I recognised the scent of the person closing in on me I was surprised to discover it was Momma, and not Daddy or Jake, as I thought it would be. She stood beside me, not saying anything, just watching. She slowly sank to the ground next to me and whispered "Honey are you okay?" I shook my head, feeling a fresh wave of tears start, she cuddled me closer and said "Don't let what Nahuel said worry you, if I had listened to everyone- besides Rose, who had her own motivations- I wouldn't have you." I jerked away from her and spluttered "What?" She smiled sadly and said "You have heard the story of your birth but you have never heard the story of your conception, we didn't think you were old enough until now. You know that I fell pregnant with you when I was human, your father wasn't happy. At that point they hadn't heard of anything like you. The second I realised I was pregnant I loved you but you scared everyone else. Carlisle and your father had made a plan to get me back home and to get rid of you before you did me any harm, I couldn't let them do that so I enlisted Rose. Your father even went so far as to ask Jacob to offer his stud service if I wanted a baby so badly but he didn't realise it was you I wanted.

It was towards the end of my pregnancy that your father heard your thoughts for the first time, and once he realised that you couldn't be anything but good he was so eager to meet you. What I'm trying to tell you is that the answers aren't always there and sometimes you need to take that leap and see where it takes you. I never told you but I had, I don't know if vision is the right term for it but let's call it that, a vision of me with Jacob and two little dark haired children. It wasn't until you were about eight that I realised that it hadn't been me and Jacob, it was you and Jacob. It was the cosmos' way of telling me that Jacob had a bigger part in my life to play than I had thought and it was their way of assuring that I couldn't walk away from him." I sat staring at my mother, this was the most she had ever spoken about the days before my birth, the things she had just told me made a lot of sense but I still wasn't sure why she was telling me. I opened my mouth to ask when she smiled and said "Renesmee, that vision- or whatever it was- proves that you and Jacob are meant to be and that you will have a wonderful life. One filled with friends and family, just like ours." I felt my eyes tear up again but I smiled through the tears and said "Thanks Momma." She smiled and smoothly got to her feet saying "Everyone is waiting for us back at the house, Jacob in particular was difficult in restraining, he wanted to hunt Nahuel but Carlisle thought it would upset you more if Jake wasn't there when you came home." I nodded, grateful that my family restrained Jacob and said "Let's go and show him that I haven't run off because of Nahuel." She smiled and nodded her head, we ran quickly back towards the house.

As we cleared the forest at the edges of the house I was swept up into a pair of strong arms. I buried my face in Jacob's neck and he hugged me close to him, his whole body was shaking and I pulled away enough to see his gorgeous face. His tortured eyes met mine and I said "Jake, I'm okay. I needed some space and Momma helped me see something I hadn't really thought about." He swallowed but when he spoke his voice was still rough with emotion "Nahuel was wrong for telling you that." I looked at Carlisle who looked in turn to Daddy who said "I'm not sorry for telling him Renesmee. He had every right to know, what Nahuel said effects both of you." I smiled weakly and said in a voice hoarse from my crying jags "It's okay Daddy and I'm glad that you stopped him from going after Nahuel because he would have regretted it, and as for what he said," I sucked in a deep breath and continued "It was nothing but a way at getting back at me for saying no to marrying him, he said it to get even, there was no truth in what he said." I smiled into Jacob's face before whispering "There is no way I am allowing you to ditch me now. You tell me you love, always, please don't let him spoil our day tomorrow. We will cross the baby bridge if and when we come to it; there is no point worrying about it now." He smiled weakly at me attempt at levity, he placed me gently on the ground before saying "Okay we still have the rest of the day to ourselves what do you want to do?" My stomach chose that precise moment to growl, everyone laughed and I smiled saying "I need to eat but I don't feel like hunting, I feel like cereal." Jake stared at me strangely but took my hand and we walked away from the rest of my family and headed towards the house we shared with my parents.

We spent the rest of the day finalising details and as the sunset on our last day of singledom Jake and I decided to do something that normal teenagers do all the time, we went and watched a movie. It was nice to pretend that we were a normal couple, sharing popcorn and cuddling up to one another. It was the nicest way to spend the hours before we had to separate and spend the night apart, something Alice insisted on, I was staying with Momma and the female members of my family and Hayley (Leah had been invited but had declined) while poor Jacob was being kept hostage by the male members of my family and Seth. The rest of our guests were arriving in the morning with the wedding taking place in the afternoon, just before dusk. As the credits started to roll I felt a certain dread at having to leave Jacob, it was an irrational fear but I couldn't shake it. Of course he noticed and after our talk about keeping secrets I was honest and said "I feel like, I don't know, I feel like we're not going to see one another again. Stupid I know but that's what I'm feeling." His face which had been tense while he waited for me to tell him why I was acting so weird, relaxed into his signature grin before he said "Sweetheart I think those are pre-wedding jitters you're feeling. I will be there tomorrow, waiting for you so we can start the rest of our lives together. I am looking forward to be able to call you my wife, eager actually." I smiled and said "Me too, except for me it'll be husband." As I looked at him his chest swelled and the grin on his face grew larger and his swagger became more pronounced as we walked from the theatre. If I had've had any more doubts about the wedding the look on his face would have dispelled them. We drove my Mini Cooper back home at normal speed, I think we were both wanting to prolong the separation for as long as possible but as we pulled up outside our house we were suddenly surrounded by five large vampires and one hulking human-shaped wolf, they all stood crowding the car, smiling and jeering as they pulled me from the passenger seat before relinquishing me into the strong arms of my mother. Jacob smiled expectantly before coming to my side and kissing me gently he said "I will see you tomorrow, I love you." He raised his head and looked into the topaz eyes of my mother and said "I don't think I've ever actually said thanks to you Bella." I jerked in surprise and looked up into Momma's face in time to see her shake her head in confusion and for her to whisper "For what Jake?" the love she felt for him, and I could now look at that love for what it was - friendship, was shining in her eyes. Jake smiled a small bittersweet smile before saying "If you had've listened to any of us we wouldn't have Nessie, if you hadn't have had the strength it took to love her and carry her inside you, even while she was breaking you apart, I wouldn't have found the love that you tried to tell me you had for Edward. I didn't understand how one person could make you feel that way, until I first saw Renesmee, from that moment I understood. I just want to say thank you." He leant over and kissed the marble skin of my mother's cheek before dropping another lingering kiss on my mouth. The kiss must have lasted too long for the impatient males because before the kiss finished they had dragged Jacob away, they pulled him reluctantly in the direction of my grandparents house, Jake calling the entire time "Love you Nessie, see you tomorrow, bye!" I found I was laughing and crying as I waved goodbye to the other half of my heart.

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><p><strong>Last night of singledom.<strong>

**please review**

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	13. It's A Love Story

**I only own the plot :) **

**A longer chapter this time round with some back stories xx**

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><p>CHAPTER THIRTEEN<p>

It's A Love Story

Once the males were far enough away that they couldn't hear us the females who had stood watching with varying looks of emotion on their faces as they watched Jake, Momma and I; sprang into action. Alice come closer and said "Okay, your mother refused to celebrate the final night of her freedom and I'm not going to let you do that. We are going to celebrate and you are going to enjoy it, okay?" I laughed as Rose said "Yeah and if you don't Alice will force you to." Alice laughed her tinkling musical laugh before saying "Oh, I guess I am being a tyrant. Let's go inside and have some fun." As they marched me towards the front door I felt a spike of anxiety at what waited for me behind those doors, this caused a jump in my heart rate and almost every other being in the vicinity laughed in unison and Momma said "Was this what it was like with me? Could you guys tell what was going on inside my head even without me saying anything?" Esme giggled and wrapped her arm around my mother as we continued our way into the house, which I hadn't realised was covered in balloons and streamers, saying "Bella with you it was worse. Every time Edward touched you or even looked at you, your heart nearly beat its way from your chest. At least Renesmee has the decency for her heart to stutter and almost stop when ever Jacob touches her; much more considerate of those in the area who were hunters, don't you think?" she smiled to show that her words had been meant as fun, Momma threw back her beautiful head and laughed loudly.

The rest of the night passed more easily than I thought it would, and considering the others with me didn't need sleep- not to mention that I couldn't have slept if I wanted to, I was way too nervous- we sat up all night. We talked about the others first weddings, I hadn't really thought about the marriages of the women in my life. I knew about Momma and Daddy's wedding and the weddings that I had attended, but I hadn't ever thought about the very first weddings of the women before me. Esme had been the first to get married so her story was first. She smiled sadly before beginning her story:

"You all know that I was married while I was a mortal and that the death of my husband and then my son was what caused me to throw myself from that cliff, when they took me to the hospital Carlisle was the only one to know that I was still alive, it was 1921 and they didn't have the medical knowledge they have now, which I am grateful for because it brought me Carlisle. He had changed Edward three years before but longed for someone to love, a wife, he chose me. When I woke up from my transformation and looked into Carlisle eyes I was beyond smitten, if my heart had still been capable of beating I think it would have stopped, every other colour in the room dimmed and when it seemed that he felt the way I did we decided to ask Edwards' blessing- we needn't have bothered because he knew what we felt for one another- our wedding was presided over by this ancient priest, with Edward as our witness. I wore a plain ivory coloured dress, since I had already been married before, and Carlisle and Edward both looked absolutely dapper in their three piece suits. It was about six months after our wedding that we were able to go on a 'honeymoon'. Carlisle took me to this small island, it took us forever to reach but the second I stepped from the small boat I fell in love. As we stood on the white sand and looked around Carlisle asked me quietly "My dear wife do you like the island?" and I was speechless and I just nodded, he smiled and said to me "I am glad my dearest Esme because I would like to welcome you to Isle Esme." I had laughed and asked "How did you find an island with the same name as mine?" He laughed and said "No sweetheart you misunderstand, the island doesn't just have the same name it was named for you, this is your island Esme." I fell even more in love with him."

I sat agog at the love story Esme was telling me and when she continued to speak I made sure that I was paying close attention, this was my family history and I wanted to be able to tell my children about it. "We came back from our honeymoon and it was then that we decided to find someone for Edward to love the way we loved one another, it took us over a decade and we thought we had found him someone. Carlisle had found her lying on the road dying, he had raced her home and begun the change, when he explained to me why he had really bought her home I agreed with him but then it seemed that Edward just found her irritating, we worried about him but it wasn't long after we welcomed Rose into the family that she found her one true love." Esme stopped speaking and I looked expectantly at Rose who smiled her beautiful smile before she begun to tell her love story, her eyes glazed over as she got lost in her memories, her voice far away and dreamy

"I was hunting and I came across Emmett being mauled by a bear. He reminded me of someone I had known in my mortal life, he also reminded me of something I thought I had lost. I was terrified that I wouldn't do it right so I carried him back to Carlisle so that it could be done right. I knew that I needed him and that I would do anything to save him, even if it meant condemning him to this life we live. I knew from the early months of my life as a vampire that Carlisle and Esme had hoped the Edward and I would make a connection the way they had but as much I irritated him, he irritated me just as much. The love we felt was more that of a sibling than a romantic one, not that it matters because the second I saw Emmett I knew that he was the one I wanted. I got so very lucky that he loved me and that we are compatible, He holds my enormous ego in check and I hold his impulsiveness in check. The day I found Emmett was the day that I truly forgot the past and actually started looking forward to an eternity together. I had lost my need for a huge wedding when I had lost my humanity and I wasn't in any hurry to marry, anyone, but Em was stubborn enough he wanted me, forever, so we married for the very first time about six months after Em had been turned. It was just us and Carlisle and Esme, Edward had gone off on his rebellious teenage phase and we found this out of the way chapel in the middle of nowhere. It had the nicest stain glass windows and they filtered the light in a way that allowed us to marry in the middle of the day with no fear of exposing what we were. I have never wanted anyone else and I'm so thankful for the universe for bringing me Em and I'm glad that you have had the same opportunity with Jacob, Ness." I swallowed back my tears at her horrific love story but I was so pleased that they felt I was old enough to tell me their stories. Rose smiled before looking towards Alice my gaze wasn't the only one to follow hers. Except when we looked at Alice she had a far away, vague, look on her face. Momma laughed and said "Are you checking up on the guys?" I figured this was a normal question but even I knew that if Jacob and Seth were with them that Alice wouldn't see them, Momma's question seemed to jolt Alice from her trance and she shook her head before saying jokingly "Nah Rose's story was boring me." We all laughed as Rose threw a candle at her while saying laughingly "Well at least my story wasn't so sugary sweet that it makes you want to throw up." Alice chuckled and said "So I guess it's my turn now." I nodded and she started to speak but her words seemed off and she seemed preoccupied.

"I don't remember anything about being human because it turns out that I had visions while I was human and they had put me in a psychiatric hospital and performed horrible tests on me. My transformation happened in the hospital, I don't remember any of it, and from everyone else's stories I am glad that I don't. Jasper's and my story, I believe was written in the stars, from the moment I opened my eyes to this life he was there in my mind. I knew we belonged together and I set out to be where I knew he was going to be. I waited for him in a small cafe in Philadelphia and when he came in I knew I had been right, he had stood by the door of the cafe looking completely out of place. I knew he was hungry, I could tell but he had placed himself within reach of temptation. Of course I knew he wouldn't do anything to harm those inside, or me for that matter; I approached him and scared the life out of him, to him I was a threat. A person to avoid until he focused on my feelings and noticed a feeling he wasn't familiar with, love. We spent the next few weeks making our way to the family of golden eyed vampires I had seen Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Rose and Em and I knew that there was a whole other life for both Jazz and I. We got married about a year after we met, it had taken Jazz that long to be able to control his impulsive feeding, though he still has the harder time of controlling his cravings than the rest of us, and he had told me that until he did he didn't want to drag me down with him. I told him that I saw him adhering to this new way of life but he needed more proof than my say so." Laughing disparagingly she said "Now they rely too much on what I see, back then not so much. We had had a fortnight of solid rain and we were walking down the main street of this tiny little town in east Texas, a place Jazz had passed through while in the military, and I saw the church sitting all alone, surrounded by grass and gravestones. I loved it and when we walked through the front doors of the church I had a vision of us standing at the altar. Jazz felt the shift in my emotions I whispered what I had seen and he smiled. We stood at the end of the aisle, I was wearing a flower printed blue skirt suit and a wide brimmed straw hat, the padre who presided over the marriage laughed at the fact that I had been wearing such a hat after such a long period of rain. We laughed and then signed the certificate before heading back home to our new family."

I was amazed at how lucky my family had been in finding love in a supernatural world of darkness and pain. I had always known that my family were lucky in the fact that they had been able to find one another and overcome the life that had stretched before them but until I heard their love stories I hadn't realised just how lucky they were. I looked over at Hayley, who was sitting next to Esme, she was staring open-mouthed at my family as they told their stories and when Alice finished she had looked expectantly towards my mother, I followed her gaze and waited for Momma to tell her story. I knew most of it because I had made her tell me how she and Daddy had met and fell in love; it had been my favourite story as I was growing up. I smiled at Momma encouragingly and she laughed before saying "Renesmee, I think that you might be able to tell this story better than I could, you asked for it so often when you were little." I nodded but said "I want to hear you tell it, besides Hayley hasn't heard how you and Daddy ended up together. It might help to explain Jacob and I little better." Hayley, who until this point had not said a word, spoke softly "Please Bella, I am curious. The rest of you ladies have spoken of the love you found and how it seemed destined, I know of destined love. The second I saw Seth something inside me changed and I couldn't explain the need I had for him." I nodded and was slightly surprised to see my mother do the same and when she spoke her eyes took on a far off look:

"My story starts very similarly to yours and Seth's, Hayley. The first time I ever saw Edward, something shifted, I couldn't understand the fascination I had for him, especially since the very first time he saw me- well what I thought was the first time- he glared at me with eyes filled with hate. He disappeared for a week after that, I swore it wasn't my fault that he had left but I still couldn't stop the odd pain I felt and when he came back it was as if he had brought with him the sun to that small dreary town. It took my almost being killed for him to admit to himself that he couldn't be without me. We became inseparable and then something happened and he felt it best if they left me behind and started new somewhere else. Silly man, anyway that didn't work so well. But in the time that he had left me I had formed a close _friendship_ with Jacob, I say it like that because the feelings Jake and I had for one another were more than just friendship but like the imprinting phenomenon I couldn't love anyone the way I loved Edward but I couldn't be without Jake either. That strangeness was explained when we welcomed Renesmee, it was clear that the feelings I had for Jacob were there to make sure that he and Ness found one another." Mom took my hand and kissed my cheek before continuing "I was still human when Edward and I got married and Alice was given free range on the details, which I am grateful for," Alice jumped up and did a strange little jig before saying "I told you so! Didn't I tell you that you would, one day, thank me for making that day a special memory?" Mom laughed and said "Yes Alice you did and I know that I haven't actually ever thanked you for it. I remember feeling overwhelmed by everything and the only thing I wanted was for Edward to change me and for that to happen he requested that I marry him. I eventually realised it was something small I could give him in return for an eternity with him. I don't remember much about the time leading up to the actual ceremony," again she was interrupted but this time it was by Rose "I thought you were going to have a heart attack, your heart was beating so fast and you looked so sick. It was funny." Mom rolled her eyes and said "Thanks Rose now I'll have that added to my memory." Everyone laughed before she continued "The thing I remember the most clearly is the look on Edward's face when he saw me at the end of the aisle. It was then that my body relaxed enough to actually enjoy the day." Mom stopped her story because almost everyone else here knew what had happened after that, everyone except Hayley, who had slid to the edge of her seat. She looked eagerly at Mom and said "When did you become, I mean when did you change, sorry, I'm not exactly sure how to phrase it." She blushed and looked away from the probing gazes of the women in the room but Mom smiled and said "That's okay Hayley, I was changed when I had Renesmee; I was dying and they, Jacob and Edward, agreed to allow it this one time, to save me. That is my story well the one of how I fell for Edward and how we got married and tomorrow our daughter will be beginning a new chapter of her life as a married woman. I never thought that I would see this day, and now it's here and I couldn't be happier. I know that apart from Edward and myself that Jacob loves Renesmee the most and would do anything to protect her." I smiled and leant over to hug one of most important people in my life.

The night deepened around us and the stories got more intimate and eventually I laughingly called a stop to them because I didn't want to embarrass Hayley, well that was my story and I was sticking to it. I couldn't sit around discussing my sex life with my family or listen to my family talk about their sex lives. I couldn't believe that I was sitting with the women in my life, talking openly about their intimate lives, and preparing myself for the next day, I was getting married in less than 24 hours and the butterflies that had been fluttering for the last week had taken flight and were beating wings against the walls of my stomach. I walked into another room of our house, away from the laughter that was coming from the front room, this room was in darkness and I looked out the window at the stars that lay scattered against the velvet curtain of the sky. I found comfort in the quietness of the night, I heard footsteps from behind me and I smelt Esme's scent as she came and stood beside me, she wrapped one of her arms around my waist and whispered "Nessie are you okay?" I smiled over at her and said "Yeah, I was just thinking about tomorrow." She hugged my tighter and asked "Are you having second thoughts?" I laughed and said "No second thoughts, I want to marry Jake it's just that I was thinking how much our lives are going to be different after tomorrow." Esme smiled softly and said "Not different, just better. After tomorrow you begin a new chapter in the love you share. You listened to all the stories about how we fell in love and how we all felt that the love we have found is destined, you are the only one- besides Hayley- who can actually say that the love you have found is destined. The love of your existence was decided by the gods at the dawn of time, it is the type of love that some people will never know and a love that very few have ever known. You are blessed and we are blessed to have you." She kissed my cheek before checking her wrist for the time as she did the doorbell rung. "Oops I almost forgot, we need to go hunt, I figured that you wouldn't want to leave Hayley so I ordered some pizza. That should be it now," she paused and we both heard the swift intake of breath from the teenage delivery man as Rose answered the door and his mumbled speech as he waited for payment. I smiled to myself as I imagined the sweet smile Rose would give him as she handed over the money. The boy stammered his thanks at the large tip she gave him for driving all the way out to us. I walked slowly from the sitting room where Esme and I were talking and was in time to see the delivery vehicle drive away and as Rose closed the door and turned to hand Hayley the pizza I said "You guys go hunt, Hayley and I will stay here and eat this and talk girly talk until you come back." Tinkling laughter in varying tones swelled around us, Hayley and I stood on the porch that wrapped around the front of our house and waited until they had disappeared into the forest. After several seconds of quiet Hayley said "Let's go eat this pizza before it goes cold, I can't stand cold pizza, how 'bout you?" I felt my stomach flip at the mention of eating but I said "Yeah, I can't stand cold pizza. Let's go eat."

We walked back inside and settled onto the lounge where we cracked open the pizza box and, ignoring the flip of nausea that gripped my stomach, we begun to eat. Hayley was such a pleasant girl and we got along fantastically, we chatted about everything that we had to do before the wedding tomorrow afternoon. Hayley was my bridesmaid, Jacob and I had agreed that we would keep it low key, Jake was having Seth as his best-man and both of them would act as witnesses and sign our marriage certificate. As we talked I had a feeling Hayley was working up the courage to ask me something. She got up and walked away into the kitchen I could hear her pouring herself a drink and when she came back into the lounge I said "Hayley, what's the matter?" she sighed and sinking back onto the sofa she said "I was wondering how you and Jacob, you know, it's just I was thinking about Seth and I and I was just..." she stopped and flushed red, the colour making my hunger flare. I grinned over at her and patting the spot next to me I said "Come here." She came and perched on the sofa beside me and said "I am so sorry. I can't believe I asked that, you don't need to answer. I was just curious." I was still smiling as I said "Honey, seriously? If you can't ask me, than whom can you ask? Jake and I, it was amazing. The love I feel for him deepened a million fold after making love to Jake but do you think that you and Seth are ready for that big a step?" I felt slightly hypocritical as I spoke these words considering that I wasn't that much older than Hayley and I was getting married in less than, I checked my watch, eighteen hours. She smiled shyly at me and said "Oh no, not right now but I have never had anyone else to ask. I just wanted to know if it was, you know, different, or whatever." I laughed and said "I don't know about how different it is from a 'normal' relationship all I can tell you is, it was phenomenal, and when you guys are ready you will know it." I reached over to hug her and another streak of hunger struck me, shaking this away I concentrated on talking about some more of the details for the coming day.

The night wore on and at just after two Hayley and I bid my immortal family good night and climbed the stairs to my bedroom, where we crawled into bed. I woke to brilliant shafts of colour shooting through my window, rolling over to face the door I saw my father standing there watching me sleep. I sat up and smiled warmly at him, saying "Hey Daddy, how are you this morning? Or better yet how is Jake doing? I don't have to go rescue him from a lamp post where you guys have tied him naked do I?" He laughed and said "No, he is out hunting and I wanted to use this time to come and tell you how proud of you I am and how much I love you." I leapt off the bed and flung myself towards him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and said in a tear clogged voice "I love you too Daddy." He held me away from his body and whispered "I can't believe that my baby girl is getting married today. I can remember the first time I held you. Unbelievable." I laughed and said "Considering how good your memory is and factoring in that I was only born like five years ago, I'd be a little concerned if you couldn't remember the first time you held me." He grinned at me before taking my hand and walking beside me down the stairs and into the kitchen. I grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and poured some cereal into it, adding the milk I went and sat at the table. I didn't notice the strange look Dad was shooting me until I sat down, it made me feel uncomfortable and I asked "What?" His marble brow creased and he gestured towards the bowl in my hands before saying "When did you prefer cereal over a hunt for breakfast?" I shrugged and said "Dunno, I'm feeling a bit lazy today and since the cereal is here, I figured I'd eat it." I couldn't see what the big drama was so I continued to eat my breakfast. It wasn't until I had almost finished eating that it struck me that we were alone in the house, even Hayley had disappeared. "Where is everyone?" I knew I didn't have to ask the question out loud but sometimes it got annoying to have a seriously one-sided conversation. I focused on Daddy as he spoke "Your mother and you Aunts went to get the rest of the flowers, Esme is overseeing the final catering touches and Hayley has gone to talk to Seth. Poor Seth he has no idea what is coming for him. I'm glad to hear that you're not spouting marriage at an early age for them, though truth be told in this situation I don't see the point in waiting because it isn't like there will be anyone else for either of them." I shook my head and laughed at his explanation for Hayley's absence, I leant forward and said "I actually feel sorry for Seth as well because she is one determined woman and nothing is going to persuade her if she doesn't want it to."

Daddy laughed and said "Is it any wonder that you and she have become fast friends." I chuckled before shaking my head. I danced to the sink and deposited my dirty bowl before quickly washing, drying, and putting it back in its place. I turned back to face Daddy and said "Yeah it's really nice to have someone who knows all the crazy things in your life, someone who you can complain to and not offend them and beside that she is one of the sweetest most sincere people I've known." I smiled and checked my wrist for the time, it surprised me that it was almost eleven and I had actually slept longer than I had in a really long time "Oops if I don't start getting ready Alice is gonna kill me." Daddy laughed and said "They are almost here. So I will kiss you goodbye and go and get ready and I will be back to walk you down the aisle, I love you Renesmee." He kissed my cheek and hugged me close before he turned and flew out the back door, as the door closed behind him the room was suddenly swarming with women, and not just my family. Sue, Hayley, Emily, Leah, Rachel, and Rebecca were with them as well and I was so excited to see them – even Leah- that unexpected tears filled my eyes. They all surrounded me asking concerned questions. Smiling through my tears I said "Nothing is wrong, I am so excited to see you all and I am so pleased that you all came," Leah rolled her eyes and I smiled wryly at her and said softly "Even you Leah, you might not like it but I think of you as family and I wouldn't have it any other way." The room held its collective breath waiting for Leah's reply, a soft exhalation spread through the room as Leah said "You know what, I have been angry for so long at you, your mother, your family, the whole situation, that I hadn't taken into consideration what my behaviour was doing to others. It has taken me a long time to get over what happened with Sam and when I turned I was so mad and I felt so isolated that I turned it into anger and hate, I have recently discovered" at this she shot Emily a small smile "that life is moving on without me and if I let it I will lose out." I knew that my smile was one of confusion and Leah laughed before saying "You make a member of my family happy and that is what I want more than anything, for them to be happy. I can't promise that I won't slip up but I am going to try and behave myself." I was so shocked that it surprised even me when I ran at Leah and grabbed her into a tight hug, her body stiffened but after barely a second she relaxed and returned my embrace. I released her when Alice spoke, her voice irritated and slightly off "Okay, everyone knows their assignments and since we only have five hours before the ceremony, I suggest we get started."

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed the back stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.<strong>

**Next chapter the big day**

**Please review**

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	14. Goodbye Renesmee Cullen

**I own nothing but the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER FOURTEEN<p>

Goodbye Renesmee Cullen… Hello Mrs Black

I felt my heart beat faster than I thought it was capable of beating as I was ushered into the large bathroom where Alice had set up enough cosmetics to make a department store envious. There were creams and powders that I hadn't even heard of and some things that I didn't even know the name of but Alice seemed to be in her element. I was ordered to shower and put on my robe before I was forced into what looked like a barbers' chair that was now sitting in the middle of the room. I watched as she dried my hair with a blow dryer and the proceeded to straighten the curls out of my hair. I had never straightened my hair before, mainly because I had so much hair that it would have taken forever but partly because Jake had always said he liked it the way it was, but as Alice straightened it bit by bit I was amazed at how lovely it looked. I was hoping she was going to leave it there and let me have my hair out, so I could have something to hide behind since I wasn't wearing a veil, but I should have know better than that; she finished straightening it and the proceeded to section it and twist the sections into a fancy braid. The end result was that all of my hair was pulled back from my face but twisted and pinned into a loose braid that fell down the middle of my spine. I loved the way it looked by the expression on Alice's face was one of discontent, she tapped a small finger against her full pursed lips and the skin between her eyebrows crinkled and she sighed "It's missing something. Stay there I will be right back." I had barely nodded my head before she had shot from the room. I was thinking about getting a drink when she flew back in and scolded me "I thought I told you not to go anywhere." I blinked in surprise and said "But I didn't go anywhere!" There was a chuckle from the doorway and I spun to see Momma standing there with a big grin on her face. She looked stunning in a one shouldered deep blue gown that fluttered around her like clouds of silk; her beautiful hair was twisted and pinned in an elaborate knot on top of her head. She laughed again before saying "Yeah but you moved an inch and that counts. Alice is there anything I can do to help with her hair?" I smiled at Momma and watched as Alice seemed to lose focus slightly, she did this when she 'saw' something and immediately the tension in the room doubled. "What did you see?" I asked quietly but she shook her head and whispered "Nothing I was just checking that everything was going to run smoothly today." She patted my shoulder and spoke to Momma "Bella, there is something you can help me with." I watched as Momma danced over to us and Alice said "It's missing something and I thought maybe flowers but now looking at it I think they'd over-power the whole look." Momma nodded and dashed from the room, I had drawn one breath before she was back again, and in her hand she held an old flat box. I was curious about what was inside and leant forward in my chair to get a better look, and when Momma came and stood beside me before opening the lid she said "These belonged to my Grandmother and Charlie and Renee gave them to me on the day that your father and I got married and I think that they'd look lovely in your hair if you would like to wear them." I nodded and she flipped the lid of the box open, when I saw what lay inside that little nondescript box I felt tears well in my eyes. Inside that flat little box lay two beautiful hair combs, of course I had seen pictures of them from Momma and Daddy's wedding but seeing them twinkle in the light, shining with colour and life, was something else entirely. Alice sighed and removed the clips from the box saying "Bella you are a life saver! These are perfect!" and I couldn't have agreed more.

Alice fixed the combs into my hair and sighed with pleasure over her creation, she held up a mirror so I could see the elaborateness and I was amazed at how skill-full she was. I hopped out of the chair and hugged her tightly saying "Thank you for making me look beautiful, I love you Aunt Alice." She smiled in a distinctly wetly way, even though vampires couldn't cry, and hugged me back before stepping out of my embrace and saying "Sweetheart you don't need help looking beautiful because you already are, always have been. Okay, I am going to leave you in the capable hands of your mother to get dressed so I can go and get ready for this fabulous wedding and I will see you at the ceremony." And she danced out of the room leaving just Momma and me. I looked over at Momma and grinned; she laughed and said "I can't believe you're getting married! You look so grown up and I want to lock you in a room and never let you out." I laughed and we both said at the same time "But Jake wouldn't let that happen." Momma chuckled and said "No he wouldn't. Okay let's get you dressed before Alice comes back in and tears us to shreds." Again I laughed but this one sounded distinctly nervous and when I reached for the dress bag that hung on the back of the door my hand shook. Momma reached a steady hand out to take the dress from me, I released my hold without a fight and stepped away as she unzipped the bag and pulled my dress free. I was again struck by how beautiful the dress was, I loved that as Momma moved it shimmered and twinkled like thousands of tiny stars. I shrugged out of the dressing gown that Alice had made me wear over my bridal underwear (a corset -that did amazing things for my cleavage- with matching panties and a garter that attached to the stockings that encased my legs) Mom raised one eyebrow at the under garments and I felt colour heat my cheeks "Alice told me I had no choice, that this was what I had to wear!" was all I could say at the look she was shooting me. Shaking her head and taking a deep –albeit pointless- breath Mom said "I know she said the same thing to me, I was just wondering where my baby went. That's all." I crossed the space between us and said "Momma I haven't gone anywhere, and I don't plan on going anywhere." She kissed my cheek before checking her watch saying "Quickly before Queen Alice comes back in." I started as Alice's voice sounded from down stairs "I can hear you and I am not that bad, nor is the underwear! Hurry up or Nessie is going to be late."

Both Mom and I looked at one another and burst into fits of laughter. Once we had control of ourselves we concentrated on the task ahead of us. I stepped onto the tiny dais and held my arms above my head as Mom lowered the skirt of my dress down, carefully, over my head before securing the hidden zipper. She brought over the bodice and laced it up over the top of my corset, I was grateful at Alice's insistence on the corset as Mom laced me into my dress. I had an okay figure without the corset but with it I had a shape that most women would envy, I was a nice hour-glass shape which accentuated the gown and made me feel extremely feminine. I sighed as I lowered my arms but before I could say anything Mom said "You need to give Alice credit, she does know her stuff." I laughed softly and just nodded my head in agreement; I couldn't have spoken even if I wanted to.

We both heard the slight footsteps of my father on the stairs and when they stopped outside the dressing room door I said "You can come in Daddy." And when he walked through the door his breath hitched in his throat and he said in quiet reverence "Renesmee you are beautiful! Almost as gorgeous as your mother was on our wedding day." I smiled and said "Is it almost time?" he nodded and said "Everyone left about ten minutes ago and the car is waiting downstairs, we have fifteen minutes before we should leave." I was surprised at how quickly the time had flown while I had been getting ready. "Wow!" was all I could manage to force out past suddenly frozen lips. Momma came and stood by me and whispered "It will all be okay, just focus on Jacob and you will get through this. Let's put your shoes on and go and see your future husband." I shivered at the feeling of excitement that coursed through me as she said 'husband'. I lifted the front of my dress so Daddy could help me slide my feet into my shoes, I was thankful that he couldn't see what was under it, then I rolled my eyes as his shoulders stiffened before he said "I will have to have a talk with Alice over her choice of under garments she thought were appropriate." I bent down and kissed his cheek saying "Daddy, honestly they aren't that revealing and I think they look nice." He huffed but returned to helping my put on the high-heeled beaded satin pumps that Alice had chosen to match the dress, once my feet were safely encased within my shoes I dropped the front of my dress and stepped down of the dais. I was stunned by the sudden popping of a flash and found Mom taking pictures of me, I walked over to stand beside Daddy and she took a picture of the two of us before exchanging positions with him and standing beside me with her arm wrapped around me while he took a picture. By the time we had done this we had time enough to walk down the stairs to the waiting car and race towards my future.

When we arrived at the small chapel on the outskirts of town and I was stunned at how many cars were parked in the lot. I waited as the door of the car was opened and Daddy exited the car and held out a hand to help Mom out; once she was out he turned back to me, held out his hand and said "It isn't too late, if you want to stop this now we can go home." I laughed at him and said "It was too late the second I saw Jacob." I placed my palm in his waiting one and let him help me out of the car. Once I was free of the vehicle I was greeted by Hayley who said "I know I've been pretty slack with the whole bridesmaid thing but I thought you would be more grateful for the time spent alone with your family." I hugged her briefly, a flare of hunger flashing through me, before saying "Thank you for that, I will remember what you have done for me forever." She grinned wetly before going about straightening my skirt and checking that I was right before we walked towards the doors of the chapel. We were greeted by a volunteer who directed Mom to her seat before signalling that the wedding could begin. The music started and Hayley, shooting my one last grinning glance, walked away from us and down the tiny aisle of the chapel. I watched her go and the fluttering wings of nervousness that I had been feeling suddenly settled and I lifted my head and looked for Jacob as Daddy and I begun our walk down the aisle.

He was standing at the end of the aisle, waiting for me. The look of love on his face made my eyes well but the tears didn't fall, they sparkled in my eyes as I gazed lovingly at the man I was about to marry. He looked so handsome and debonair in the tuxedo that had been made specifically for him and I felt my heart swell even more with love. He moved a few steps up the aisle and waited for us to reach him, he held out his hand to receive mine and when Daddy put my hand within Jacob's he smiled and whispered "Treat her well or I'll tear you to pieces." Jake laughed as I whispered "Daddy!" but he let go of my hand and hugged my father saying "Thank you for this gift." Daddy looked surprised but nodded and took his seat beside Momma and the ceremony begun.

Thankfully the ceremony was only short but when the priest asked us to repeat our vows after him we did so, my voice shaking slightly with emotion but Jake's voice rang out loud and clear; the love he felt for me clear in every syllable he spoke and when the priest declared us man and wife and said that Jake could kiss his wife the crowd cheered. I looked up into the eyes of my loving husband, smiling as his head lowered towards mine, and then he pulled me closer and placed his mouth against mine. Kissing me softly but thoroughly enough that there were a few hoots from our family and friends, we turned to face the crowd and the Priest spoke to them saying "Please help me in welcoming Mr and Mrs Jacob Black." Our friends and family cheered and we made our way back down the aisle and out to the waiting cars.

The reception that followed was more a party than anything, except this party had guests in formal gear instead of jeans and shirts, we danced and ate and generally enjoyed ourselves. The only thing that irritated me about the entire night was the fact that I was passed from man to man like some sort of prize, each man wanted to dance with me and all I wanted was to dance with Jake. I was rescued by my father after what felt like the thirtieth dance, he swung me around the dance floor effortlessly saying "I know all you want to do is dance with Jacob but would it be too much to ask that I can have one dance?" I relaxed into his hold and thought _'Daddy you are different, you can have as many dances as you want you're my Daddy.' _He smiled before twirling me around again. I felt my stomach drop as the world continued to spin even though I had stopped and I stumbled slightly "Whoa that sucks." Daddy held my elbow and waited for me to right myself, chuckling under his breath "Nessie that is the first time I have ever seen you stumble, maybe you got more of your mother in you than we thought." I laughed along with him, careful to keep my mind blank because I didn't want him to worry about me. I had been doing it a lot lately, stumbling or tripping and it had been bothering me but tonight wasn't the time to think about it. I suddenly noticed that our dance had come to a stop and we were standing in a quiet corner, I looked around confused but the reason we were there became quite clear when Jacob materialised out of the darkness. His deep voice was happy and calm, I walked towards him and felt his arms cradle around me. I rested my head against his chest and listened as his words rumbled out "Thanks Edward. It's kind of like déjà vu, another wedding yet you still have given me the greatest gift." I turned my head to look towards Daddy in time to see him smile and walk away. I looked up into the face of the man I loved and smiled brightly; he grinned down at me and whispered to me "Are you hating this whole thing?" I smiled and said "I didn't like being passed around but I am definitely enjoying this part." I stood on tip-toe and kissed his jaw, the only part of him I could reach, before saying "So Mr Black would you like to dance with the bride?" He laughed and hugged me close, saying "Yes Mrs Black I would like that very much." I shivered as his voice dropped to a gravely tone and his lips grazed my ear. It was then that it struck me that I was somebody's wife! Amazement and joy danced through me as I straightened in Jacobs' arms. He had other ideas of how he wanted to dance with me and I was relieved to just sway slowly, revolving in circles, in his arms.

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><p><strong>Finally, yay whoop whoop<strong>

**Please review**

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	15. Surprises

**I only own the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER FIFTEEN<p>

Surprises

As the night drew to a close we discovered that we had at least one surprise waiting for us that we hadn't known about. Jacob and I were preparing to leave (someone, though no-one was telling me who –my guess was Mom- had arranged for us to go on a honeymoon) and as we were saying goodbye to our friends and family we were stopped short by the presentation of a small nondescript box. I felt my confusion mirrored by Jake and only when prompted did either of us actually make any move to open the box. I lifted the lid and stared in mute mystification at the two tiny metal keys that lay inside on a cushion of velvet. I looked up at Jake and he just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, I dropped on hand from the box and touched his palm, his smile was reassuring and he cleared his throat before saying "Ah, thanks, we think anyway." The crowd laughed and Emmett spoke from near the back of the room "That was pretty much what Bella said when we handed her a similar box." Still confused I just stared at the tiny keys and obviously our inability to understand what they were was irritating for him because Emmett growled "They are keys," 'no kidding' I thought and heard Daddy snicker before Emmett continued "For your new house!" I stood staring in stunned silence at the many faces of our family and the only words my stunned brain could get out were "No way!" laughter erupted around us and I felt a blush stain my cheeks, I buried my head into Jacobs' chest. It vibrated with suppressed laughter but I didn't care, I couldn't stop the tears that flooded my eyes and spilled over onto my cheeks and I didn't want my family to see them. I gripped Jacobs' hand tight and he hugged me closer, his words echoing through his wide chest. Emotion rich in every word "We can't thank you enough for everything that you guys have done for us." He bent down and kissed my head before continuing "We feel so blessed at having family and friends as wonderful as the ones we have." There was a resounding cheer at his words and I finally felt in control enough to look up, every one of the faces staring at us was filled with love and happiness. I smiled wetly before saying "Thank you all for making this day so special and we will see you when we get back." We kissed and hugged everyone again before making our way out to the waiting car.

We made it to the car and out onto the road before we spoke, and the silence was broken by Jake "Ness, are you okay?" I smiled over at him and said "I couldn't be happier if I tried, why do you ask? Are you happy?" He glanced over at me and his smile seemed to glow in the dim light, he sighed and said "I am fantastic, I get you to myself for an entire week and we are finally married and I am ecstatic!" I laughed gently at him; I leant across the small space between us and whispered in his ear "I can't wait to get you alone." My breath against his earlobe caused him to shudder, I felt the deep breath he took and wasn't surprised when he said "I think you had better sit back and give me some space otherwise we won't get to the airport for our flight." We had a flight booked that left for Hawaii at one in the morning and it was already pushing midnight so I leant back and closed my eyes. I was tired from the emotions of the day but wired at the same time.

I must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing I knew Jacob was shaking me gently whispering "Ness you need to wake up, we're at the airport." His words jolted me awake and I practically bounced from the car saying "I'm good, I'm awake. Let's go." He smiled softly and wrapped his arms around me as we walked into the almost empty airport. We checked in and barely had time to go to the bathroom before our flight was called. As the plane taxied down the runway I felt nervous, I had never been in a plane and I was a little scared about the whole thing. I focused on Jacob and before I knew it we were in the air and I had felt nothing. Jacob pulled me closer to him, kissing my hair and touching my face, I held still, enjoying his attention. A flight attendant asked if we would care for anything to drink and I touched Jakes' hand 'asking' jokingly, if he thought they'd have blood. He chuckled before shaking his head and asking for two cokes to be brought over. The attendant looked at us strangely before walking away.

The flight wasn't as long, or as stressful, as I thought it would be and before I knew it we were bustling through the airport and out into the warm night air of Hawaii. I was excited about the sunshine and being able to go out into it without a care in the world. Jake didn't sparkle and the shine to my skin was subtle and it lent a luminosity that many would pay money for, so we didn't have to worry about that. It was early enough that the streets were basically empty and when we checked into the hotel we were greeted by a sleepy concierge and directed to our room, assisted by a slightly vacant looking bellhop. The room that had been booked was the penthouse suite, I was as surprised as much as Jacob at the generosity of my family and we were also surprised that even our activities had been paid for. Jake tipped the bellhop and we turned from the door to look around the luxuriously appointed suite of rooms. When Jake swept me off my feet and carried me into the room, I squealed in surprise "Jacob what are you doing?" He chuckled and said it is customary to carry the bride over the threshold." I laughed and said "Yes but isn't that of the home you're going to share, not every threshold?" he frowned at me before asking "You don't want me to carry you?" I sighed, my shoulders slumping as I realised that I had upset him. I touched his cheek and said "Honey you can carry me anywhere any time but the one place I would like you to carry me is the bedroom." I had barely gotten the words out before I was being laid down on the silk coverlet of the king sized bed.

I was amazed at how quickly the time does go when you want it to last forever, the morning of our last day in Hawaii dawned with sizzling heat and as I strode to the window I thought about the people waiting for us at home. It was then that I remembered that we hadn't gotten any souvenirs for anyone. I turned from the window, sensing that I was no longer alone, and said "We had better go and do some souvenir shopping before we go home, Seth and Emmett will be bitterly disappointed if we return without gifts for them." I laughed softly as I walked into Jake's open arms, the second they closed around me I felt safe and loved and a fierce need for him that hadn't faded in the time we had been alone. He kissed my cheek and whispered "Can't we just get them something from the airport? That way we can spend the rest of the day right here." My stomach pulled as my blood heated, I did want to spend the day with him but I wanted to buy something special for our family, I pulled out of his arms and mock-scolded him "Jacob Black is that all you think about?" I laughed as he growled "Hell yes it is" before stalking me through the room. I bounded lightly over the couch but as I landed a wave of vertigo struck and I stumbled to my knees. Jacob was beside me in a second, gathering me into his arms. Concern shone from his eyes as he asked 'Ness! Are you okay? What happened?" I laughed, the sound coming out hollow to my own ears, because I didn't want to worry him on the last of our time together so I said "See what happens when you wear me out! I need some time to recover so we need to shop." He smiled warily before agreeing to my plan. He went to shower and I let my worry run rampant, I was so concerned about the dizzy spells and the clumsy episodes but I hadn't wanted to worry anyone else so I hadn't asked anyone about it but they were getting more frequent and obvious to everyone around me. I resolved myself to ask Carlisle when we got home if there was something wrong with me.

By the time Jake had finished in the shower I was calm and before he could ask me how I felt I escaped into the bathroom, I locked the door and stood beneath the calming spray of the shower for longer than I normally would. I hurried through dressing, deciding that I wasn't going to give him the time to ask if I was okay, and met him in the lounge. I smiled brightly up at him and said "Let's go shopping there are so many people I want to buy for. We should get something for Seth and Hayley's wedding while we are here that way it will be unique." This comment distracted him enough "Wedding? What wedding? Seth never mentioned getting married!" I smiled and said "Neither did Hayley but if the conversation we had the day before our wedding is anything to go by there will be another wedding shortly." I replayed the conversation with Hayley through my head as I held his hand; Jake chuckled and shook his head saying "I know what you mean. That girl is definitely stubborn and poor Seth is like a love sick puppy, no pun intended, around her." We laughed as we made our way through the tourist laden streets. By lunchtime we had brought for almost every one, we only had Carlisle and Sam to go, in the end we brought Sam a carving of a dolphin and Carlisle a landscape painting, I was pleased that we were able to get such personalised gifts but I was exhausted and I suggested we go back to the hotel and sleep before our flight that evening. Jake agreed and we did go back to the hotel but we didn't sleep.

As we followed the bellhop through the noisy lobby I felt fatigue come over me in a wave and I could barely keep my eyes opened to get through the airport and onto the plane. Jake was supporting me the majority of the way but I couldn't have cared less. The second we were seated on the flight home I closed my eyes and flaked out, I woke briefly about two hours into the flight but sleep claimed me again quickly. It wasn't until Jake moved from beneath my resting head that I woke enough to ask him "Are we back yet?" He smiled softly and said "Yeah Honey we are, I was just going to carry you out but I think the stewardess was concerned that I had kidnapped you and I think she might be planning on calling security if you don't walk out of here on your own power. Once we're in the car you can sleep again, your dad sent me a text with the directions to our house but if you want to be more awake for the great exploration than we should just go back to your parents until morning." I was so grateful that he knew me as well as he did and I said "If you can hold off carrying me over every threshold than I think we should go back to my parents place, we can give them their presents and then in the morning when I'm more awake than we can go explore our new home." And as I said the words 'new home' I felt a kick of excitement but it wasn't enough to ward off my exhaustion. I crashed within seconds of falling into the car, I wasn't even sure that I had put my seatbelt on. I slept until we reached the house my parents lived in, the second we pulled to a stop and Jacob cut the engine my eyes flew open and I felt energy flowing through my body, more energy than I had felt in days.

I jumped out of the car and flew across the yard to throw my arms around the marbled hardness that was my father. His arms came around me and I felt great joy at seeing them again, he pulled me tighter into his embrace saying "It is good to have you home Renesmee, it seems that you have been gone forever." I laughed and looked past him for Mom, I wasn't disappointed because she was standing several feet behind Daddy but she wasn't alone. My entire family were waiting for us and I felt joy and happiness welling within me. I disentangled myself from Daddy and went to hug Momma, she pulled me hard against her and whispered "Welcome back baby." Her voice rough from the emotion she was trying to hide. It was as I pulled away from her that I noticed the smell, it was kind of sweet and slightly sickly. I sniffed and wondered where it was coming from. Daddy's voice came from behind me saying "I can't smell anything." I shrugged and tried to forget about it as I went to greet the rest of my family but the smell lingered and it was causing my stomach to revolt. I was careful to keep my mind blank so that Daddy wasn't alerted to my distress and I quickly threw myself into handing out presents.

Since we had missed Christmas while we had been away, Jake and I had decided that the presents could act as Christmas gifts as well. I handed out each gift, giving my family strict instructions that they were to wait to open their present until everyone had their gift, I knew that it was pointless because Alice could see every present and Daddy could read the thoughts as they passed through her mind but I still wanted it to be a surprise. Both Jacob and I were pleased that everyone seemed to genuinely love their present and exclaimed their delight loudly. After they had opened all of their gifts Mom got up from the lounge that she had been sitting on and disappeared, she appeared seconds later with an armful of gifts of her own. This made several other members of our family do the same thing. I was touched that they had waited to have a Christmas until we had returned and we were all together and happy.

Several hours later I was still wide awake and still struggling to discover the origin of the scent that I could smell. Jake eventually called an end to our night and whisked me away from my family to the house they had built for us not far from their own. As we drove away from everyone the smell became less noticeable and I was thankful that I didn't have to worry about it. I looked out through the windscreen of the car watching the world fly by as we sped towards our house. We rounded a bend in the road and sitting straight ahead of us was a single storey ranch inspired house. It had wide sprawling verandas wrapping around the entire building, it was painted a bright clean creamy-white and the shutters on the windows were a deep red. I fell in love with it the second I saw it, I could see myself here, raising a family and watching the ones I love coming and going. I barely waited for the car to come to a stop before I jumped from the passenger seat and walked towards the front steps. I had climbed them and was about to open the front door when strong arms swept we off the ground and I was suddenly looking up into Jacob's intense features. He looked slightly perplexed at the sudden about face in my exhaustion and I could hear it in his voice as he playfully asked "Were you really going to deprive me of carrying you over the threshold after I restrained myself from doing it in every room in your parent's house?" I giggled and said "Of course not! I wouldn't dream of depriving you of anything you wanted." I knew he got my meaning because he swiftly shifted my weight, swung the front door open and had me over the threshold and into a wide foyer before I could even finish my statement. He didn't put me down as we quickly searched every room for the one room we wanted, the master bedroom. The rest of the house could be explored later.

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><p><strong>Woah mysterious dizzy spells, sudden fatigue, weird smells... can only mean one thing. Vampires ;)<strong>

**Who in their right mind wouldn't leave the exploring the house til after you've christened the bedroom lol**

**please review**

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	16. Where For Art Thou Jacob?

**I only own the plot:)**

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><p>CHAPTER SIXTEEN<p>

Where For Art Thou Jacob?

It was Friday, two weeks after the wedding, and Jacob and I had celebrated in our new home. We were coming home from our spot when we decided that we should hunt and then go home and watch TV. I pretended to decide whether I wanted to hunt or not and when Jacob was aptly annoyed I took off running, calling as I ran "Catch me if you can Jake." I heard the ripping of his body as he phased and I could hear him racing after me. I laughed and lengthened my stride, this was one time that I wasn't going to let him win, as I raced further away from him and as I entered a clearing I caught the sickening scent that had been lingering around for the last fortnight but this time it was so over-poweringly sweet that I felt my stomach jump. This triggered a memory of a different field not that long ago, a field where my family faced death but somehow managed to escape. I paused mid stride and switching my direction, I ran further into the clearing calling for Jake, it was as I did this that I saw the creature who's scent I had just caught, he was hidden in a copse of trees to my left and even though he knew that I had seen him, he never moved. I wasn't overly scared, that was until Jacob didn't answer my call. I looked around for him without really taking my eyes from the vampire in front of me. I called for Jacob again and still there was no answer that was when the vampire in front of me spoke. "Is that the wolf? He has been... detained, unavoidable actually but whatever."

I swore softly and he laughingly said "Now what would your parents think about that kind of language?" I opened my mouth to speak when, with relief, I heard my fathers' voice answer from behind me. "Why don't you ask us yourself Alec? What are you doing here?" I felt panic mounting within me as I listened, their banter continued. Alec smiled at my Dad actually it was more a bearing of teeth before saying "Edward, Bella, it's been a while. How have you been?" I heard my mother's snarl and Alec's chuckle before he continued "Did you honestly think that the Volturi were going to let you get away with the way you treated them before?" I waited for my dad to speak and I knew that he was searching through Alec's thoughts to see if there was any immediate danger to us and when he growled I knew that it was not good. Edging closer to Dad I was about to place my hand in his when he shot me a confused look. He shook his head before he turned his attention back to Alec and he asked "Where is the wolf?" I felt my heartbeat jack up a few notches and the acceleration didn't go unnoticed by the prowling vampire facing us. I saw his pupils dilate and his nostrils flare and I knew- even without the ripping snarl that came from my Dad- that Alec thought of me as food. I didn't care about my safety I wanted Jacob, nothing had ever stopped him from coming to me when I called, and this thing knew where he was. I crouched into an attacking position and growled at him through my clenched teeth "Where is Jacob? What have you done with him?"

Before Alec could answer my Dad said "He was sent as a diversion. Several others were sent to capture Jacob and any other wolves they could find. So far they have Jacob, Seth, and Leah. He hasn't hurt them they were under strict orders to deliver them safely." Apparently Alec had enough of my Dad poking around inside his head because he hissed "Enough, I am bored with this." He crouched down into a position identical to the one I had held for several minutes. He launched himself at me and I tensed, waiting, for his body to collide with mine. I felt the flood of adrenalin flow through me and I had never wished more, than I did at that precise moment, that I was a full vampire and that I had the strength to take him on. As he sprung at me my father hissed "Bella grab Renesmee and leave." He slid in front of me and Alec crashed into him, the sound was like two boulders smashing together. I felt my mothers' arms holding me tightly against her and suddenly we were several feet away, even as I fought I knew it was hopeless, there was no way Momma was letting me go until she was sure that we were safe. The battle between my father and Alec lasted less than five minutes and in the end my father stood over the disassembled and flaming remains of one of the Volturi's greatest weapons. The smoke that drifted skyward was so sweetly sick that I actually had to cover my nose and turn away. As dad walked towards us I saw in his eyes the pain and fear that I was feeling and it wasn't until momma loosened her grasp and turned me to face her that I realised I had been sobbing, great wrenching sobs that wracked my frame. I watched as they embraced and a fresh stab of pain pierced my heart, would I ever see Jake again? Would I ever again hold him like that? I looked into the faces of two of the people I loved most in this world, beside Jake, and saw reflected there, in degrees less than my own, the pain I was feeling. Dad's softly spoken words sounded false to my ears as he said "Ness, this isn't your fault. Aro had them target you and Jacob because he knew that Alice couldn't see either of you and that, as long as they didn't plan to hurt any of us, Alice wouldn't be alerted to their plan. We need to contact everyone, Carlisle and Esme's place is closer and it'll make a good enough headquarters so we can figure out where to go from here."

We raced back to my grandparents house and I wasn't really surprised to see my entire family there waiting for us and that they already knew what was happening. As I mounted the steps Rose came forward and wrapped me up in her cold embrace, she kissed my forehead and said "Don't worry Ness, the dog'll be okay." I almost smiled at the use of her name for Jacob, they had a hate-hate relationship, but the situation was far too serious for nicknames. Carlisle was standing at the front of our family line letting my dad see his thoughts and at the stiffening of my dad's spine I knew that Jacob was in deeper danger than I had first anticipated. The silence stretched further and my nerves, being as taught as they were, couldn't take the inaction any more. I pulled away from Rose and cried out "What are we waiting for? They have Jacob! I can't stand here and wait for them to send him back to me in a box!" as I said the words my bravery crumbled and a fresh wave of panic and fear crippled me. I sank to the floor and whispered "Oh God what if they've killed him. What am I gonna do?" My mother crouched down beside me and pulling my hands away from my face she spoke in a clearly agitated manner "You need to calm down! We will get Jacob back. In the mean time we need to discuss our plans and you need some sleep. Go up to the spare room and crash." I stared at her and as her words sank in the pain and fear were replaced by fury, I leapt to my feet and as I spoke I was amazed at how calm and rational I sounded "You want me to go and sleep! You want me to get some rest when they could be torturing Jake right now?" I felt nausea roiling inside my stomach at the thought of what they could be doing to him right now as we deliberated on how to go about saving him and the others.

My voice rose as I continued to speak "How am I to do that? I can barely breathe for the pain I'm in and you want me to not have a part in this? No way! I am helping and there isn't anything you can do to stop me. I have heard about your impromptu trip to Italy when dad had gone there after he thought you had died, and after feeling that way you want me to sit here and what? Twiddle my thumbs while you traipse off to try and rescue the wolves. Nah ah, no way, I am coming and that is all there is to it." As I opened my mouth to continue to rant a feeling of peace and contentment washed over me, I knew immediately who was responsible for this feeling and I shot him a dirty look before snarling at him "Stop that right now. I have every right to feel this way, stop trying to make it go away. What if it was Alice they had taken?" Jasper stared open mouthed at me, I had never spoken this way to any of them and I regretted doing it now but Jakes' life was at stake and I wasn't going to sit idly by and let someone else go after him.

I pushed past them and entered the house, I made a bee-line for the phone and the second I picked it up my dad was there to put it back in its cradle "You can't ring Sam. We can't risk anymore of them to try and get Jacob and the others back." I was frustrated that my plan had been thwarted but I wasn't going to give up. I turned to stare at him when a sharp pain in my chest caused me to gasp out loud, clutching my chest I sank down onto the pale carpet that covered the floor. Everyone was suddenly there, they all reached for me with concern and worry in their golden eyes and before I could tell them I was okay another pain hit me. This time it was like a serious blow to the abdomen, I had only once felt this type of pain and that had been when I had been mucking around with Emmett and he had forgotten that I was only part vampire and that he was a lot bigger than me; he had broken two of my ribs, I cried out as the pain struck again and again. Through the pain I heard my parents cry out for Carlisle to do something and I felt him examining my body as pain after pain ran through me. After several intense seconds there was a break in the pain and I was able to gulp in enough air to whisper huskily "Jake" before I slid into unconsciousness.

I came to with the awareness that for the moment the pain had stopped. I moved my limbs carefully making sure that everything was still where it should be before I swung my legs over the edge of the bed I was lying on. I could hear everyone moving about downstairs and I knew that my dad knew that I was awake and as I made my way downstairs I prayed, perhaps futilely, that there had been a break in the situation. The second I walked into the tense atmosphere in the kitchen, the only room that wasn't used for its intended purpose, I knew that no further breaks had been made. I walked over to Carlisle and placed a hand on his arm, he shook his head as I 'asked' him if he knew what was happening to me. Everyone was staring at me and I waited patiently for them to ask me the questions that blazed in their topaz coloured eyes. It was momma who asked softly "Renesmee how do you feel?" I knew that they meant health wise but I couldn't allow myself to worry about my health when Jake had been taken from me. "I'm worried. It has been long enough already can we please go and get Jake and the others? Hayley must be beside herself." I said and I knew instinctively that she had been feeling the same pain I had been feeling earlier. My father creased his marble brow and said "I never thought about that." I stared in confusion at him along with everyone else and he finally answered the room "Ness was just thinking about the pain she was experiencing earlier" I saw his agony as he relived the pain again before saying "Maybe she isn't actually hurting." I huffed in disbelief it sure had felt like real pain to me. The corner of his grimly set mouth twitched upwards as he continued "Maybe it's a pain transference thing. Maybe Jacob was in pain and as his imprintee Renesmee felt the pain too." This explanation clarified the pain I felt earlier but also caused grief to well within me, Jake was hurting and I couldn't do anything to prevent it. I walked further into the room and said "We can't wait any longer. We need to go to Italy, now, before they hurt him anymore."

My proclamation wasn't unexpected but it was still greeted with silence, well except for Emmett who growled "You can count me in, I'm always up for a fight, when do we leave?" I smiled gratefully at him only to have my hopes dashed by Alice "I don't think it is going to be that easy. I can't see them, the minute they grabbed the wolves I couldn't see them anymore, we don't even know if they've taken them to Italy. We have no way of knowing anything because we have nothing to go on. There is a way; well at least I think there might be a way, but..." Alice was cut short by the instant dismissal of my father "We can't Alice. I don't want to put them at risk; if we take them to Italy and the Volturi are 'collecting' them we are putting them in immense danger." Carlisle broke in gently "Edward we need to ask them to help us, can you imagine if it was Renesmee that the Volturi had and the Werewolves never told us about it, we would be furious at being kept in the dark." I was grateful that the rest of my family felt the same way I did; we needed the rest of the packs help. I walked across the room towards the phone and Dads' sharp "Renesmee." Would normally have stopped me in my tracks but I ignored him and picking up the phone I dialled Sam's number. It rang twice before Emily's soft friendly voice called down the line "Hello." I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat and clearing it noisily I said "Emily, its Renesmee, is Sam there?" I heard her cover the phone with her hand before calling softly for Sam. It took barely a second for Sam to get to the phone and as he answered I could picture him standing in the kitchen of the house he shared with Emily and their kids, I could see his hands trembling as he waited for bad news, which would be the only reason I would be ringing and not Jacob. His gruff voice masked his intense feelings of love and affection for his pack and I hated having to ask him what I needed to. I cleared my throat again and as I did he spoke "Where is Jacob?" I caught the sob before it escaped fully but I know he heard it and I said as simply as I could "The Volturi have him, and Seth and Leah as well. We didn't know and they ambushed us while we were alone." I couldn't make the pleading note that had crept into my voice leave, I needed him to understand that I would have done anything to prevent this, Sam swore loudly in his native tongue and I cringed because I thought the curse was aimed at me but his next words confirmed that he didn't hold me responsible "They used the flaw in Alice's foresight to get close without alerting anyone didn't they." I was nodding my head until I realised that he couldn't see me and I croaked "Yep." He swore again and this time I heard Emily's admonishment, before he told her what had happened, and when he spoke to me again he said "Was it the same one from when you were down here? What do you need from us?" and I felt tears of relief course down my cheeks. Between bouts of crying I outlined the plans we had for getting our pack back.

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><p><strong>*bleeping* Volturi. <strong>

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	17. Another Rescue Mission To Italy

**I own only the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER SEVENTEEN<p>

Another Rescue Mission to Italy… Hope We Get There In Time

We flew into Italy less than twenty-four hours later; and for me it had been the longest day in my life. We had called on Hayley and she said that she was physically okay, that she had felt odd but hadn't experienced any physical pain. This confused me but Carlisle explained it away, saying that the bond between Jacob and I was probably stronger because of the time we had been together, but I wasn't totally convinced. We waited for the few wolves without familial obligations to arrive from Forks. It turned out to be Brady, Collin and Will; all of who were eager to assist in destroying the vampires who had stolen members of their family. I had suffered several more bouts of 'transferred pain' and was being watched closely by my family, especially Carlisle whose concern was noted by my dad. I was exhausted but I was also determined and, even without my fathers' ability to read minds, my family knew this and they didn't bring up my exhaustion. After we touched down in Italy we made our way to Voltera. We set up base camp; that was what it was called according to Jasper, on the outskirts of Voltera and went about setting our rescue operation into effect. We were pretty certain that they had at least one wolf within the city because Alice couldn't see any of the Volturi and the only things, or so she said, that could do that was a Halfling or a wolf, she had trouble seeing others when I was with them, so I guess she was right. We wanted to ascertain if they had all of the wolves hidden within Voltera and since we couldn't just walk through those imposing city gates and ask and our best offensive weapon was flying blind, so to speak, we sent our next best weapons within the walls of the enemy city; my parents. The minute they left our side I started to pace. Not only did they have the other half of my soul but they might also have my parents, the only consolation was that together they would have advanced warning against danger, thanks to my dad, and against any mental torture –a preferred method of the Volturi - my mother could cover them both but it still didn't make the fact that they were only two against a legion any easier to swallow. The wolves that were with us made it impossible for Alice to see how this was going to work out and I hadn't realise until that exact point how much our family relied on her visions to make sure everything would work out.

Speaking of the wolves that were with us, they were still learning to fight the repulsion that was inbred through generation upon generation of fighting our kind rather than working with us, they had remained in human form for the majority of the time they had been with us and I knew that they were itching to cut loose and go for a run. I turned my attention towards them and said "Collin, Brady, Will why don't you guys go for a hunt. There isn't anything we can do until my parents get back and even then we're not sure what we can do, if anything." Collin, who had assumed the role of Alpha while away from the pack, stood considering me for several long seconds before he spoke "We will go for a hunt but I want your promise that you will rest while we are gone. If you can feel Jacobs' pain then he can probably feel your strength, if you're dead on your feet how will that help?" I swallowed the acerbic retort that bubbled up within my throat, I wanted to help Jacob and if Collin thought rest would help than that was what I do. So sighing loudly in the quiet room I agreed to his terms "Fine I'll rest but don't expect me to enjoy it!" the wolf pack barked their laughter in unison and what was left of my family snickered to show their amusement. The trio of wolves went out of the room and phased before racing toward the forest behind us, as they flew away from us Alice sighed in relief, I shot her a look and she said "Sorry it just makes everything so much easier to see." I nodded and sitting in a nearby chair I curled up and closed my eyes.

I had only meant to rest my eyes but the lack of sleep that I had suffered and the effect of the transferred pain had taken toll on me and when I woke up it was dark and there was murmuring voices coming from another room in the small house we had commandeered as our headquarters. At first I had trouble distinguishing voices but as sleep faded and alertness replaced the exhaustion from earlier I was able to discriminate to whom the voices belonged. The rougher, deeper voices belonged to the wolf pack from Forks, the varying high-ringing tones belonged to my family, and then there were a third set of voices. These voices I didn't recognise but I could tell two things straight away about our guests, one they weren't vampires and two they were locals. Realising that I was no longer in the chair that I had curled up in downstairs and that I was in fact in a bedroom upstairs I checked my appearance within the mirror hanging over the small dresser and seeing that I look at least presentable I hurried out of the room. I figured the voices were coming from the small kitchen at the rear of the downstairs so I headed in that direction. I was at the foot of the stairs when one of the voices, a woman's, said "What is that noise? I thought you said that there were no humans here." I continued my course and reached the door as my father answered, relief that he and my mother had made it back safely was overwhelming, and ignoring the fact that there were people in there that I didn't know I raced across the small space and threw myself into his arms, crying "Daddy your back." I wrapped my arms tightly around his marble smooth next and hugged hard; I was beyond relieved that they were back. I released him and crossed to my mother's side where I snuggled in close to her while observing the stunned looks from the new-comers to our group.

My father chuckled as he read the thoughts of the people within the room, he grinned at the astounded faces of the Italian wolf pack before saying "The noise you heard is our daughter Renesmee, as you can no doubt already tell she is not a vampire, not totally, she is a Halfling and the reason we are here. Jacob, whom we already spoke of, is her imprinter and the others that have been taken are part of his pack and so part of our family. Nessie these are Joseph, Antonio and Luciana they are from the local wolf-pack, your mother and I came across them as we were searching Voltera for Jacob and the others. Luca was telling us before your, enthusiastic, entrance that three of their number had also been taken, and that they had been trying for the better half of a week to find a weakness to exploit but they have been unsuccessful." I leant forward and shook the hands of the three unexpected allies, they all wore expressions of disbelief and in Luca's case outright scepticism, their scent was off and I couldn't quite put my finger on why but I took a deep breath and said "Welcome, we need all the help we can get. We are flying a little more... blind than we'd like but we are prepared and any information you can give us would be appreciated." The trio noticed my slight pause but none of them commented but I was hesitant in how much information I was supposed to be giving them.

Once they had gotten over my abrupt entrance the conversation returned to the breaching of Voltera's walls, the dangerous trip my parents had undertaken had paid off handsomely. They had been able to get close enough for my dad to 'hear' whether or not they had the people we were seeking and it was while doing this that they had found out about the three extra captives the Volturi had acquired. I was weak in the knees with relief at hearing that for now Jacob was alive and so were the others we sought. Continuing his story Dad told us how they had gone in search for the tribe to which these extra wolves had belonged, they had taken quite a lot of persuading especially considering their natural abhorrence of our kind. Once they had been persuaded they had sent their three best fighters to our aid with express conditions that this was a one-time offer, fighting together was a once in a life-time thing. I was feeling better with the knowledge that we had extra fighters at our disposal and for the first time since Jacob had been taken I felt confident that I would see him again. The conversation around the room was breaking into smaller components and I found myself being confronted by Luca. She cornered me away from everyone else, saying "How are you even alive? What are you and what gives you the right to belong to a member of a wolf-pack?"

I was taken aback by her attack on me but I understood where it came from, Leah had once yelled something similar to me and when that had happened Jacob had stood in front of me and protected me from her anger. He had said to her 'Renesmee is mine and I am hers, she chose me and I chose her, we are meant to be and nothing will keep us apart. You understand the imprinting Leah, you of all people should know that no matter what when you meet that special person that is it, it doesn't matter who they are or even what they are, they are your life and nothing else matters.' I smiled slightly at the memory and it was this that I channelled as I spoke to the angry young woman in front of me "I am a Halfling, my mother conceived and carried me while human, my father is a vampire and I have several vampiric traits but I have many human traits as well. Jacob is my life, my husband and nothing and no-one will stop me from getting to him, I love him and he loves me. We belong together and if you understand the imprinting that happens within your tribes then you know that we didn't actually have a choice, it was together or nothing." I watched as Luca tried to find an ulterior motive behind my explanation but before she could voice them I was struck by another wave of pain.

Crying out I doubled over in agony, there were hands holding me and guiding me to the nearby sofa where they pressed me into the soft fabric of the chair. I looked up through my pain and saw the sad eyes of my mother. She crouched down and whispered to me "I am so sorry that this is happening Renesmee, if I had've been strong enough to leave Forks and Jacob I wouldn't be seeing you in so much pain and agony." I grimace, for it couldn't be called a smile, and said "Don't worry Momma, I would have found Jacob even if you hadn't been friends. He is my sun, I can't grow and I can't live without him." My mother turned clouded topaz eyes to me and said "I know exactly how you feel, it is the way I feel about your father." She sighed and there was something hidden in that sigh, something that I couldn't quite grasp "What's the matter Momma?" She sighed again and fluidly rose to her feet, she started to pace up and down in front of my chair and I was momentarily distracted by her beauty. She and I were the same height, we had the same build and I had been told that when she had been human that her eyes were the exact shade that mine were now, but that was where the similarities ended. She was so beautiful, her skin gleaming like diamond infused silk and her gorgeous hair hung down her back in a gleaming curtain, I always felt pale and insignificant next to my mother. I knew I was considered beautiful by my family but I just couldn't see how, when compared to them, they could say that. My skin had a nice glow to it, even though it was alabaster white, my eyes were a nice chocolate brown colour and my hair was the same bronze colour as my dad's and I was soft but in a tough sort of way. I shook myself out of my self-induced comparison and focused more on the pacing my mother was doing, she finally stopped in front of me and said "I understand the all consuming love you have for Jacob; I do but I also know how it feels to lose that love. I don't want you to go through what I went through when you're father went away, thinking it was the best thing for me, it almost killed me and I would do anything to prevent you feeling that type of pain."

I sat shocked as she talked to me so openly, I mean not that we haven't always had an open relationship but momma was one of these people that found it hard to talk about their feelings, I understood what she was telling me but I already knew that I couldn't handle losing Jacob so I said "It is impossible for me not to love him, I can't think properly when he isn't near me, and no matter what anyone says Jacob and I belong together, I know where you're coming from but can't you understand where I'm coming from?" She nodded her head so swiftly that anyone else would have missed it, before saying "I do understand where you're coming from sweetheart, more than you know." She pulled me closer and kissed my forehead. "I will be here for you for as long as you need me." I smiled up at her through my tears and said wetly "I will always need you Momma." We sat holding hands and not moving as we watched the various sentient beings race around our make-shift home.

I had been sitting there beside momma for a while when Alice came up and spoke to us "We have decided to go and meet with the Volturi and ask them to give us back the wolves, Edward has told me to let you know so that you can go hunt and be prepared for tonight. Bella, he wanted you to take Renesmee and go with Emmett, he said she would be safer if she was with the two of you, he doesn't want her too far from you if she is hit with another bout of pain, and since I can't see what is going to happen he has decided to not let anyone go anywhere solo." Both momma and I nodded as she danced away to take Jasper's hand before flying out the door followed swiftly by Rose. I knew it was a ridiculous feeling in the face of the danger that we were facing but my heart beat a little faster with anticipation of seeing Jacob again, and having been present for the last battle between my family and the Volturi and knowing that we defeated them without bloodshed before buoyed my spirits. I could probably even have been jovial if it wasn't for the bouts of pain that were coming in ever increasing frequency and intensity. I was glad that tonight was the last night that we would have to be without the rest of our family because I didn't think that I could handle one more night.

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><p><strong>How the Volutri learned from last time. Blind the opponant and steal something valuable to make them come get it back<strong>

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	18. To Prepare For War You Need

**I only own the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER EIGHTEEN<p>

To Prepare For War You Need To Be Prepared To Lose

As we assembled in the front yard of the house that we had commandeered I was amazed at how relaxed the other pack of wolves had become in the short time that they had been with us, less than a day and they seemed comfortable besides the fact that the smell of vampiric skin apparently burned their nostrils. It seemed wrong somehow and made me edgier than I already was because of their smell but I avoided thinking about this near my father for the simple fact that we needed them to make sure our plan succeeded. We were given our final plans by Jasper, due to his military training, and then we made our way to the gates of Voltera and the waiting Volturi. As we neared the outer wall I heard nothing but the sounds of a sleeping city and nothing seemed untoward. I watched my vampire family separate only to link up with a wolf partner, a twinge of unease again slid down my spine and settled in my stomach, we were going in as a group but if we got separated than we were to stay with our partner and escape to the safety of base camp. As we marched on the gate we were surprised as it swung open and allowed us access. We walked through the open portal and were greeted by the complete Volturi guard, the sight of the entire guard facing our poultry defence was intimidating to say the least, alongside their guard, lying on the street, were the people we had come to rescue and the sight of them bolstered our confidence. The piercing sweet scent that clouded my senses was overwhelming and I felt myself dry-heave.

I waited for someone to speak and wasn't at all surprised to hear the high reedy voice of Aro, the leader of the Volturi as he addressed our group. "We welcome you to Voltera friends, though I am surprised to see you all here." The snort my father tried to suppress alerted us to the falseness of Aro's words, he whispered "Liar!" Carlisle shot my dad a look that clearly said 'don't antagonise them' but I didn't care. I could see Jacob passed out on the dirty street and the most intense feeling of fury flooded my system and I felt a snarl rip through my chest and ripple through the air, the sound was fierce and it surprised the majority of those standing around me, I found myself bound against Emmett's chest. I hadn't noticed him moving and I was stunned to feel his iron grip around me.

Aro and Caius stared at me with amused incredulity while Marcus' expression did not change from one of indifferent boredom. There was a hiss of disbelief and fury at my attitude which drew my gaze to the small form of Jane who stood just behind Aro, next to his shield Renata, she had her beautiful face twisted in a look of rage and then as we looked on her expression changed to one of peaceful contemplation. Her eyes dropped to the prone form of Jacob and I didn't need my dad's harsh "NO!" to know what she was going to do. Suddenly pain ripped through me causing my knees to buckle and an involuntary scream ripped its way from my throat. I forced myself to open my eyes, I could see Jacob's large form twisting and writhing in pain and even though momma's shield was protecting the rest of our family from Jane it wasn't protecting Jake and it didn't stop the transferred pain that I was feeling. I cried out "Momma! Please!" but before she could do anything Demetri moved forward with a wicked looking knife he knelt beside Jake and Aro said "Uh ah, none of that. Jane that's enough, Carlisle, you might want to stop your daughter-in-law so that I won't have to order the death of such an interesting specimen." My dad growled "Bella, Nessie, stop he actually means it. If you want Jacob and the others safe then stand and listen to what he has to say." I stopped struggling against Emmett and held my breath as we waited for Aro to play his next hand. I felt a curious calm wash over me as Jasper worked his magic to keep us calm enough that we didn't do anything rash and endanger those we had come to rescue.

Aro smiled in a smug manner before turning his gaze back to Carlisle and Dad, he raised one thin black eyebrow before saying "Renesmee can you come here please." I was shocked, to say the least, and it was this shock that made my feet refuse to move. When several milliseconds passed and I didn't move Aro sighed and said without a trace of the friendliness with which he had greeted us "Now Renesmee, I am fast becoming bored." I heard the hiss from my family but I heard more clearly the sound of Jacob's pained gasp "NO!" before he slid into unconsciousness. I hurried forward and went to stand in front of Aro. He reached out his hands and I knew that I had no choice but to place mine within his. He stood staring at me and as every thought I had ever had passed unheard –except by my father- into his brain I waited for him to be finished with me. A slight form with flowing red hair, that reminded me of Frina, came forward; her head bowed and body hunched in on itself, she gently touched Aro on the wrist before hurrying back to her spot in the enemy line. I was dazed when he pulled back his lips over his perfect teeth and hissed a profanity. I leant back away from him, the severity of Aro's anger threw me and I stumbled back to our side of the invisible line. I looked at my father for some hint of how I had angered Aro but I needn't have bothered. Aro was speaking again and his voice had returned to the friendly tone he had used earlier. "Ah it seems congratulations are in order." I looked confused and when I searched everyone else's face they seemed to be exhibiting the same sense of confusion, the last face I looked into was my father's but he refused to meet my gaze, I looked at Aro and asked "Why?"

Aro's reedy laughter rang out across the courtyard but he didn't answer me, instead he went and crouched down near Jacob. I immediately felt Emmett's arms around my torso, preventing me from rushing to Jacob's side, and I struggled until Aro reached out a hand to grab a fist full of my Jacob's silky hair. He dragged Jacob upright and slapped his face to bring him back to consciousness, I heard the crack as Jake's jaw broke with the force of the blow, I whimpered and I felt tears running down my face. Only once Jacob's eyes had opened and he was focusing on Aro did Aro speak again "Good you're awake." He shook the hand, the one that had Jacob's hair wrapped within it, and I watched in horror as Jake's head flopped like a rag-dolls, he laughed again and said "There is something you need to know before you die." I flinched at the tone Aro used and prayed that he was wrong about the dying thing. I listened as Jacob's deep voice, even weak from the drugs they had given them to stop them from phasing, asked in his usual smart-alecky tone "What makes you think I care what you have to say?" under any other situation I probably would have laughed but suddenly Aro had the wicked looking knife from before and it was placed lovingly against Jacobs' neck. Aro snarled and said "Be careful mutt I could end your life with a flick of my wrist, then what would your mate do with your pup?"

The sudden silence was deafening and for about a second after Aro spoke I couldn't comprehend what he was saying, but the second Jacob gasped and started pleading for Aro to let me go I understood what he had said and I started to laugh. My laughter startled every being in that vicinity and it even drew Aro's gaze from Jacob. It took me several long seconds to control my laughing enough to say "I think you're a little off this time Aro. I never thought that, so, I don't know where you got it but it wasn't from me." I laughed again and sniggered "Pregnant, ha, ha, ha. That's hilarious Aro!" So quickly, that I had missed the movement, Demetri was in front of me, snarling. I heard the swift movements of my family as they crowded in and surrounded both Emmett and I. I hissed in disbelief and it stopped my bout of laughter, in the background I could still hear Jacob pleading with Aro to not harm me, I jerked my head back and stared in shock at the ferocious vampire in front of me. He leant forward and snarled "Watch your attitude, freak. It wouldn't take much to destroy you or the thing you sleep with." I felt a shudder ripple through me and as I stood scared silent by the fierceness in the ruby-red eyes of the vampires surrounding us, another strong pair of arms replaced the ones around me and I found my gaze blocked by Emmett's broad back and shoulders. I twisted in the arms of the person holding me and saw the worried look on my mother's face. I reached out a hand and touched it to my father's but the second I touched him he jerked away as if stung by my touch.

Aro's voice sounded from behind the mountain that was Demetri and the large Volturi warrior backed into the line facing us. My family stood waiting for the next shoe to drop; we didn't have to wait long. "See the thing is my dear Renesmee," Aro's voice was whisper quiet and deceptively calm as he continued "there is something your family doesn't know. Since our last _meeting _we have _acquired_" the way he said it actually made it sound as if they had purchased whatever it was that he was talking about "a new member to our clan. Like Alice she can see the future, but unlike Alice she isn't _limited_ to only being able to see others like us or humans', Alyssa can you come here?" The tiny girl, there was no other way to describe her, who had touched his wrist seconds before stepped out from behind him and looked curiously at our assembled group. She had a street savvy air about her; a feeling that she was only playing at being submissive, her face held fear tinged with frustration at being treated like a possession, she didn't say anything as she just touched her hand lightly to Aro's before stepping further back into the group behind her.

Aro watched as my family tried to figure out what it was that he had meant, his head cocked contemplatively to the side, his ruby red eyes travelling leisurely over our assemble group waiting for his meaning to sink in. It was my dad that said "She can see the wolves and she can see Nessie." His tone was flat and carried nothing in it. I shot Jacob another look as he lay huddled against cobbled street, I pulled against the arms that bound me, eager to escape them and go to his side. My mother tightened her grasp and whispered "Wait Ness." I quietened down in my attempts to escape and focused my sole attention on Aro. He seemed to be warming to his role as ringmaster in this strange circus, he moved further towards our group and, protected by Renata, he stopped in front of me and said "She can see you, Renesmee, and do you know what she sees happening in the near future? No? Give up? You, she sees you, having a little wolf cub. I'm surprised at you, considering you had actually thought about this. Back in Forks after Billy died." I heard myself growl "Don't say his name." But Aro had continued to speak as if not interested in the topic "And again while on your honeymoon." I growled "You have no idea what you're talking about. You are a nut case." I was stunned to realise I was screaming and even though I was surrounded by strong vampires Aro lashed out and slapped my face hissing "Don't speak to me in that tone, you need to learn some respect." I looked over at Jacob and watched as he struggled to get to his feet before collapsing back to the ground apparently unconscious. I was so incensed that I hissed back "I'll show you the respect you earn, I'm not exactly sure what I thought months ago has to do with this absurd notion that I'm pregnant." Aro moved back slightly and rolled his eyes before saying "In less than three months you will be welcoming a cub into this world and I can't allow that. I was hoping to get there before this happened, which is why I sent Nahuel but obviously he failed and will be dealt with accordingly, before I was forced to destroy you as well. You are so unique that I am hesitant to kill you but since you gave yourself to the abhorrent creature huddling on the dirty street I have had to rethink my position."

Aro paused in his rant and I reeled from his revelation and the fact that he seemed intent on killing us, I shot a look at my father and saw the tense set of his jaw and knew, without him telling us, that we were in deep trouble and if we made it out of this alive it would be miraculous. It was then that I thought of the wolves, we had six gigantic wolves on our side. The wolves existed solely to destroy vampires, it was as this uplifting thought shot like a falling star through my head that Aro spoke again "Ah, as for the team you have assembled to help you recover your _pack _there is something you don't, well didn't, know." He smiled again and it was a chillingly cold smile, a serial killer smile and we all looked expectantly at my dad who said in a flat monochromatic tone "They're in on it. They were told that we were the bad guys and that the Volturi needed their help in destroying a dangerous clan, one that had enslaved others of their kind; us." I gasped and whirled to face the trio of wolves that had slowly made their way to stand away from us and more towards the Volturi; I stepped towards them, unmindful of the fact that I was still restrained by my mother's arms, and snarled "What the hell are you thinking? Surely after spending the last few days with us you have realised that what they had told you was wrong! You have seen us hunt and you know we don't hunt people. Don't you think that, if we had enslaved the wolves that we came here to save, we would have done the same to you? Can't you see that they used you and if you help them, we all die, and that includes you."

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><p><strong>What would you do in her situation?<strong>

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	19. See What Happens When

**I own the plot :) **

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><p>CHAPTER NINETEEN<p>

See What Happens When You Double Cross Others

Luca stepped forward and barked a grating laugh "We don't care if they kill you, why the hell do we care if a group of vampires take out another group of vampires? We only care enough to get our family back and then you can go about ripping one another to shreds. I admit that it was easier to get along with you than I had expected, you don't smell as bad as these," she gestured with her head towards the Volturi "do but nonetheless we still find you disgusting and we want nothing to do with you." Turning to Aro she spoke with quiet reverence, which even to my ears sounded forced and insincere, saying "We have held up our end of the bargain, please release our family and we will leave you in peace as long as we catch none of you on our land." She had barely finished speaking before Aro begun to laugh, his chuckle dry like autumn leaves scraping against the pavement, he raised one eyebrow and said "Let you go? I thought you were clever, you will never leave here. Demetri" Before we could speak, or react, Demetri had sprung forward; the knife he had held at Jacob's throat glinting in his hand, he flicked his wrist and in the space of a second Luca's head was severed from her body. Antonio and Joseph howled in stunned pain and lurched in fury at the vampire who had just decapitated their sister.

Chaos erupted and I found myself released from momma's protective embrace, she placed me at her side, her lips quivering with the speed at which she spoke to me "Go and get Jacob and the others, we will take care of the Volturi. They are the main concern. I couldn't stand to lose either one of you, so get yourselves out of here. Be careful because he is too weak to protect you if something should happen." She kissed my cheek and flung herself into the fracas. I made my way quietly across to Jacob, he lay unconscious against the flagged stones of the courtyard, I knelt down at his head and tapped his face lightly with my hand, mindful of the broken bones inflicted by Aro "Come on Jake, wake up. Please! Come on! Please Jake, we need you." I touched the side of his face and let what Aro had said run through my mind, if he was telling the truth than I needed Jake more than ever. Still Jake didn't move, panic was starting to well within me and I felt my breathing accelerate and my mind start to malfunction. How in the world was I supposed to get a person as big as Jacob out of this vampire guarded city and to safety, not to mention leave my family to fight when they were extremely outnumbered.

I darted away from Jacob and over to where Leah, Seth and the other captives were. I was relieved to see that they were all conscious at least, drugged to their eyeballs, but awake and willing to try and help me get them away from this vile place. I worked on the bonds that were holding them against the wall, iron chains that bit into their flesh and created welts and in some cases cuts if they fought hard against their restraints. I had complete faith in my family but I knew I that I needed help to get out of here alive. I put my head against Seth's ear and whispered "What's wrong with Jacob? Why is he so much more affected by what they gave you?" Seth, who had more energy than was normal for any one person to have, stared listlessly up at me before saying hoarsely "Because he is the Alpha he took more subduing, they doubled the dose that they had used on us and dosed him more regularly. He has been barely conscious in the last couple of days." I heard my whimper of disbelief but I hardened my mind to the pain that Jacob and the others had been through and focused my entire strength on freeing them. I gripped the chains that held the wolf-pack to the wall and ripped it out of the stone with an ease that surprised even me. He rolled to his side and pushed himself up onto his knees to help me free Leah, I was frustrated at their weakness because I knew my own and I also knew the strength of the vampires around us. I buried my frustration as deeply as I could and helped Seth free Leah and the members of the Italian wolf pack; though I was tempted to leave them tied up because of their role in bringing us here. That petty thought and my hesitation lasted barely a second before I helped Seth free the other wolves, there were two female and a male wolf and I was surprised to see Leah crawl to the side of the male and tenderly touch his cheek, I had never seen her show affection toward anyone besides Sue and Seth and it threw me momentarily before the sound of Jacob moaning snagged my attention fully.

I motioned to Seth and he crawled to my side, I waited for him to put his head close to mine, mainly to keep our plans from the super hearing of the vampires around us, when he got so close that I could see every individual hair on his face I placed my hand against his cheek _"I need to know if you and the others are up to helping us escape. I can't get Jacob out of here because he is just too big. If you are up to helping me carry him out then those are our orders. Get out and don't worry about the others."_ I saw the surprise flicker across Seth's face and I heard the suck of air as he inhaled sharply, indicating that he didn't like leaving the rest of my family any more than I did, I nodded my head and thought _"I know, I hate it too but if we hang around we will be a liability and we will end up getting one or all of them killed."_ A swift inhalation had us both staring at one of the slight Italian werewolves, her eyes were that wide that I thought they might fall out of her skull. Her words shuddered as the fell from her lips "I heard that! What you just said to him, how did I hear that?" Both Seth and I stared in stunned amazement at her words. Seth was the first to recover, he looked from my hand on his cheek to his hand on the young woman's shoulder "Wow Ness I think it passed through me" I just shrugged and said we don't have time to deal with it now. We have to get out of here." He sighed deeply before saying "They didn't give the rest of us much attention, they just drugged us when they remembered so we still have most of our strength just not enough to take them on or phase, so tell us what you want us to do and we'll do it." I smiled grimly and said "I want you and the other male to get Jacob and head out the gate we entered in, don't stop! Leah and the other two females will be directly behind you. I will bring up the rear." at this Seth's head automatically started shaking but I spoke over his objection "I am the only one who isn't drugged and I can move quick enough to escape. Just concentrate on getting the others out and I will look after myself. No arguments!" he sighed and said "Fine but if Jacob wakes enough to realise what is happening he will tear me a new one." I showed him my teeth and said "If you don't do what I've asked _I_ will tear you a new one!" he chuckled but nodded his head. He moved away from me and towards the remaining hostages and I went back to Jacob.

I was so focused on getting out of Voltera that I had unconsciously forgotten about the raging war that was being played out around me. I was violently reminded of this fact as Alice went flying over my head, snarling and snapping at Demetri who had leapt after her. I gasped as they slammed into the building opposite me with enough force to crack the exterior, sending bits of brick and cement flying through the air; I crouched over Jacob protecting him from the debris. I felt myself wince as the detritus sliced into my back but I ignored the pain and the wet slickness of blood as it slid down my spine and pulled Jake into a sitting position, he stirred but didn't regain consciousness and I couldn't help wondering if he was ever going to come to. A small sound behind me had me spinning into a defensive crouch, baring my teeth and snarling low in the back of my throat, the sight of three scared humans and two slightly incredulous ones had me relaxing my stance and allowing them access to the prone figure I had been protecting.

Seth and the other male, who had introduced himself as Cameron, gathered Jacob up off the dirty road and with Leah, Antoinette and Vanessa, the other female wolves, heading up our pathetic looking rescue team and me bringing up the rear we made a covert attempt to flee the carnage that Voltera had become. We stuck to the darkness of the walls and I allowed myself the luxury of a sigh of relief as we neared the gate, it was short lived when our way was suddenly blocked by the slight figure of Alyssa. My little band of escapees paused and looked back at me to see what I wanted to do, I hesitated because she was so new to this life and I didn't want to kill her if I had a choice; that thought gave me pause, _could_ I destroy her? Even if I wanted to, I didn't know if I had the strength to do it but she was stopping our departure and that meant that she was putting Jacob in danger and I couldn't have that. I moved to the front of our posse and stood protectively between them and her, she cocked her head inquisitively to one side before saying slowly "I can see that you will do anything to protect these _people_ and even though I can't see why, I respect you for that." She raised her slim shoulders in an eloquent shrug before continuing "But Aro made me and I am loyal." As she spoke I was struck with an idea; moving closer to Alyssa, the various sounds of warning coming from those behind me made the skin at the back of my neck prickle but I ignored them and concentrated on my thoughts, I held out my hand and said "You know what I want to show you and you can see that I'm not lying to you. You've seen how we live, you've seen how much we love one another, and we can show you how to live your life without the need to take human lives. Please I can see that you aren't like the others and I would like to get these people out of harms' way; I know the loyalty that you feel and I can see that you feel torn between them and the life that my family represents." Alyssa contemplated me silently before saying softly "I know where you're coming from and I know that I can trust you but what of the dogs that you are trying to help escape? Can you promise me that they won't be hunting me in the hours, days, weeks, and centuries ahead?" I dragged a breath into lungs that refused to co-operate, I knew that our escape hinged on getting this girl to help us leave. "They won't hunt you as long as you aren't hunting humans. You can come back to the States with us and we will help you assimilate into our lifestyle." I stopped speaking again and waited precious seconds for her to speak again, when she took longer than I hoped she would I gave up my dignity and did the only thing I knew that I had left, I begged "Please Alyssa, I am having a baby. You saw that, surely you wouldn't let them kill me and I can't raise this baby on my own. I need Jacob, we need each other. The others are my family, I ..." Alyssa cut across me and said "Sheesh you are such a drama queen, I admit that I am curious about how you live your life, I don't know if I'd cut it but I want to see if I can. Aro was so dead set about how you needed to be taught a lesson, never got the feeling that you were dangerous. So let's blow this pop stand and get you to safety so your other _family _members don't hunt me down and rip out my throat for not helping you." She turned her red eyes on us.

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><p><strong>So Aro's move backfired or did it?<strong>

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	20. Ally Or Enemy

**I own only the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER TWENTY<br>Ally or Enemy

Relief so strong it almost buckled my legs, flooded through me and I felt tears well in my eyes. I blinked them away so I could follow Alyssa's quick furtive movements through the unfamiliar city. We skirted the battle and I gave a brief glance towards my fighting family, it was hard to see them fighting for us as hard as they were but I knew that if I was to disobey their orders that I would put them in more danger than if I got the prisoners to safety and waited for them to come back to me. As we followed Alyssa I felt a twinge of apprehension as we made our way from the battle, we seemed to be heading further into Voltera instead of out of the city. I was about to say something when Alyssa stopped and spoke "If we exit the city here than we have a greater chance of getting out alive than if we had've used the gate you entered through. You might want to check on your mate he is about to wake." I swivelled on the balls of my feet in time to see Seth and Cameron struggling to hold a waking Jacob within their weakened grasps. I pushed past the others until I was standing beside Jake, touching his face gently I whispered "Hey baby, relax, we're okay." His dark eyes rolled within his head as he struggled to focus on me, his voice was rough as he husked "Nessie? Oh honey I am so glad to see you. Are you okay? What happened with the Volturi? Where are we, where is the rest of our family?" I huffed out a breath and said "I am fine. I am a lot stronger than you all give me credit for, the rest of our family are fighting for our escape and Alyssa here has been kind enough to help us find an out. We don't have time for anything now" I said as I watched his eyes darken the way they did when he was feeling strongly about something but I needed to stop him because we really didn't have the time to have any deep and meaningful conversations right then. "We will talk but first we need to get out of this blasted city and if you're up to it we could use your help." He shifted away from the helping hands of the other two men and wrapped me in a bear hug before setting me from him and saying, over the top of my head, to Alyssa "Thank you for helping us, now let's get out of here."

I looked over my shoulder into Alyssa's watchful face; her red gaze seemed more contemplative than before maybe even saddened. She cocked her head in a way I was fast becoming used to as her 'seeing' what was coming. I tensed for barely a second before she said "Come, we can't stay here anymore. They haven't noticed that we've bailed but it won't take them long to realise that your family are only diverting them and not actually fighting to kill." A wry chuckle fell from her lips and with a shake of her head she muttered "A clan of vampires only pretending to fight, what the hell?" I sighed and said "I know it can be a lot but we will explain it all to you, I promise." I walked back to the head of our posse and touched her shoulder gently. "That is the first time since I became a vampire that anyone has shown kindness." even with the vampiric hearing I had I barely caught the words she spoke.

We exited Voltera and made our way cautiously around the outer edges of the city. The going was slow and I was becoming frustrated with the amounts of stops that our injured troupe required. Jake had slipped in and out of consciousness often and it was Alyssa's visions that stopped him from hitting the ground, she always gave a heads' up when his strength failed. I stayed at the head of our group, distancing myself from Jacob so I wouldn't be tempted to ignore our mission and sit staring at his face, re-learning its beauty. I could feel his gaze on the back of my head, when he was conscious, and felt somewhat relieved when he wasn't. We covertly made it three quarters of the way around the walled city before Alyssa stopped and hissed "They know that you have escaped! We need to blaze, move it!" I felt adrenalin rush through my system and it replaced my previous annoyance. I knew we were close to where we had entered Voltera because I could once again smell that overwhelming sickly sweet scent from before we entered the gates. I swallowed the nausea and focused on getting further away from the waring vampires. I took the lead once we were on the path I remembered from my hunt earlier in the day. The ailing werewolves kept good time and we made it to our base camp without incident.

The sight of the two storey, white stucco building that we had been calling home made my heart beat a bit faster; we shepherded everyone inside and locked the door, though we all knew that if any of the Volturi wanted in that the locked door wouldn't stop them. The second we were over the threshold the emotions the werewolves had contained exploded; Leah rushed at Cameron and threw herself into his embrace, he held her tight and whispered gently into her ear. Alyssa sagged against the door and dropped her head back to stare up at the cracking paint on the ceiling before sinking down to the floor and burying her head into her knees. Antoinette and Vanessa hugged each other tightly, crying softly on each others' shoulder. Seth deposited Jacob onto the chaise lounge in the sitting room before coming over to me and gripping my upper arms tightly, I recoiled slightly as his grip tightened. His eyes were wide and I could see the fear in them as he asked "Hayley? Is she alright? Did they hurt her?" I winced slightly as his fingers flexed but I answered him "She is fine, she felt some discomfort when they hurt you but that was all. Seth can you let go of my arms please, I might need them." He dropped his gaze to where his hands were wrapped around my upper arms so tightly that my fingers were tingling, he looked surprised and said "Bugger, sorry 'bout that Nessie." before loosening his grip and rubbing the area his hands had been covering. I laughed and said "Don't worry 'bout it, I totally understand. Can you stand guard? I wanna go be with Jake when he wakes again." He nodded and went and stood the opposite side of the door to Alyssa.

I walked into the sitting room, my eyes immediately going to the figure lying on the lounge. I hurried to his side and sunk down onto the carpet, taking his hand into mine. I kissed each grazed knuckle and took a mental note of all the cuts and bruises that covered his body. One entire side of his gorgeous face was a mottled purple-black and his lower lip was split and sluggishly oozing blood. I don't think my brain allowed me to see fully the damage that they had done to him in order for me to be able to function enough to escape but now that I could see the damage a rage the likes of which I had never know washed over me. I rose fluidly from the floor and rushed for the door, I reached for the handle and had the door opened before strong arms wrapped around me from behind. I didn't recognise the scent of the person holding me and I growled low in the back of my throat "Let me go before I rip your arms off." I heard Alyssa's snort and I relaxed slightly. She didn't let me go though; she just moved her arms so they weren't crushing my stomach. Seth stepped in front of me and asked incredulously "Where the hell are you going?" I looked pleadingly up into his deep brown eyes and said "They hurt him Seth! What if it was Hayley? Wouldn't you want some payback?" He shook his head and said "I know what they did to him. How do you think it felt to watch them do it to him? I understand that you want payback but I'm not gonna let you go back there, it's a suicide mission. You saved him, go back in there and wait for him to wake up and when he does kiss him and think about how happy you are that he is safe."

A logical part of my brain knew that what he was saying was true but my feelings were so much stronger than my logic that I snarled "NO! I want to rip them apart for doing this!" I felt Alyssa's arms tighten slightly at the look that Seth shot her but I fought hard against their bind. I struggled until Seth said "If you have no regard for your life or for how much pain Jake will be in when he wakes up and you're not here, than think about your baby." His words shocked me into stillness and I stared mutely up at him. He grinned wryly down at me and said "I was awake for Aro's little show. Please don't leave, I don't think I could stop Jake if he wanted to go after you and in his condition he would surely die. Not to mention that I wouldn't be a very good Uncle if I let you take my little niece or nephew back into a fight that you don't need to be in." I sagged into Alyssa's embrace and she quickly passed me off to Seth who hugged me tightly as I mentally poured out everything I had been feeling since we had escaped the Volturi. He held me for a long time before Alyssa's voice broke the silence "Your family are coming." I leapt from Seth's embrace and ripped the door open. Battles are fierce and there are always casualties but when your family are strong and immortal you never think anything could hurt them. All I saw was my family, in their entirety, walking towards me. It took me several seconds to realise that they were far from being okay. They were smeared with blood and soot, my fractured brain had trouble processing why they would be covered with soot, I focused on each of them singularly; the first to draw my attention was my mother, she looked haggard but whole. My Dad was second and I sucked in a ragged breath as I realised that he was limping and carrying his left arm cradled against his chest. Carlisle and Esme were next and I was relieved to see that they seemed completely intact; the same went for Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper. It was then that my gaze fell to the make-shift stretcher they carried. Lying in pieces was the loving figure of Alice, she looked tiny and at first I couldn't understand what I was seeing, I didn't want to comprehend that I would never see her smile or go vague with 'sight'. I must have made some small noise because the saddened faces of my family glanced my way. I raced across the small square of grass that constituted the front yard of our base camp; I wanted to get closer, to help in some small way – vampires can only 'die' if they are dismembered and their remains burned. I was stopped short by an overwhelming feeling of desolation and pain, my eyes flew back to Jasper and I could see in their depths a barely controlled fury. My father stepping in front of me saying "Renesmee don't. We will try and help her but we have no guarantee that it'll work, we think we have all of her but ..." I heard Jasper's snarl ripple towards us and I knew that he wasn't actually angry at us but the ferociousness of that snarl reminded me that for a long time Jasper was a trained killer and that he hadn't used his conscious to determine his life, his actions had been fuelled by greed and gluttony. I felt anger and pain that wasn't mine and I knew then that Jasper had lost control, he couldn't control the emotions around him because his own were in such a bad shape. I wanted to hug him, to help him get through what needed to be done but I also knew, instinctively, that this was something he had to deal with on his own.

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><p><strong>Poor Alice...<strong>

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**Cherie**

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	21. Casualties Of War

**I own nothing but the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE<p>

Casualties of War

I backed away from what was left of our ragged little army; noticing as I did, the remaining members of our troupe were there as well, it seemed that Alice and Luca had been the only casualties. I glanced towards Voltera and was amazed to see a thick stream of purple smoke floating above the city, amazement flooded me and I wondered who, in that amazingly strong contingent of vampires, had been destroyed by the force that was my family. Daddy wrapped his arm around my shoulders and guided me into the house, as he did he whispered "Aro, Renata, Demetri, and Felix are gone. The others, or what is left of the others, are probably regrouping but I think the fact that we have destroyed three of their strongest fighters and one of their oldest and most powerful that they may decide against coming after us. To know this for certain we need to get Alice back to full strength. She will need at least a couple of weeks to heal and there are no guarantees that she will ever be the same. How's Jacob?" I started guiltily because I had momentarily forgotten Jacob in my, and to strengthening degrees Jaspers', grief over Alice, I sighed and said "He is resting. I don't know how badly he is hurt or how badly they mistreated him and I need Carlisle to check him over to be sure but he seems okay." As we reached the door my father hissed in disbelief "They have come for us already." And it took me several seconds, in which they had group themselves into battle formation, before I realised and said in a squeaky voice I barely recognised as my own "No! It isn't them, it's Alyssa. She helped us escape. Without her we wouldn't have made it out alive." I could tell by the looks on their faces that they didn't believe me so I said to my father "I'm serious, you of all people would know if I was lying to you or if she was hiding something." I watched as my father concentrated on Alyssa's thoughts and he seemed relieved to hear what he had within them because he said "Renesmee is right she is here to help and with Alice out of commission right now we need all the help we can get; and _Alyssa,_ being able to see the wolves and Renesmee, will come in handy." I turned away from the rest of the group assembled on the front yard and as I did this Daddy grumbled "She just saw us working together, and I thought Alice was smug when she was right about something and people doubt her, this one is worse." I chuckled under my breath and continued into the house. The others followed and once we were safely within the walls of our hide-out they separated. Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper carried Alice up the stairs and into one of the rooms on the second floor; Esme, Rosalie, Momma and I went into the front room of the downstairs area and saw to Jake. I watched as Daddy consoled the remaining members of Luca's pack before welcoming back the stolen members of our pack.

It wasn't until I sat beside Jake in the relative safety of our hide-out that the anxiety that I had been feeling swamped me. I felt my hands start to shake and that was quickly followed by my entire body; I was shaking so hard that my teeth were clicking together. I felt Momma come and stand beside me and all I wanted was to breakdown and cry but I knew that once I started I probably wouldn't be able to stop. Her hand rested on my shoulder and her musical voice floated softly to me "It's gonna be ok. I promise you nothing bad will happen to either you or your baby. Carlisle will make sure of that, we will all make sure of that." It wasn't until she mentioned the baby that I had even thought about the small life growing inside of me but once she mentioned it that small life took centre-stage within my thoughts and I started to panic all over again. I truly didn't think that I was ready to be a Mom, I was barely ready to be a wife, but here I was – both those things and with a husband who had not regained consciousness since we had made it back to base. I dropped my head and stared down at my hand as it lay next to Jacob's, I was once again struck by the difference in our colouring and the difference in our size. It was as I sat staring down at his large hand that it suddenly moved and his hand covered mine. I started and my eyes flew to the face of the man I loved. He smiled up at me and whispered "Hey Nessie." I sat stunned for a second before tears fell onto my cheeks and I threw my body over his, sobbing as I let go of the pain, anger, fear and distress that I had been feeling. He held me as I cried and it was only once my tears subsided that I raised my head, it was as I did this that I caught the grimace of pain he couldn't quite hide. I pulled away from him and said "Oh my God Jake, I am so sorry. Where is it hurting? What can I do? Is there anything you need?" I could hear the hysteria creeping into my voice and I forced myself to quash it. My hands fluttered like the wings of a moth as I sat uselessly beside him, he moved and captured both of my wrists in one of his hands and said "That's enough Ness. I am fine, nothing a few hours won't fix. I want to know how you are, how both of you are." I dropped my gaze and mumbled "I'm fine, honestly."

A sound swept through the room, the sound of a light breeze, and I looked away from Jacob in time to see my mother closing the door to the room we were in to give us some privacy, pointless really considering their hearing but I appreciated it all the same. I sat staring at the door for longer than strictly necessary but I couldn't bring myself to look at Jake without showing him the fear and distress I was feeling. I had forgotten that our hands were still touching. "I'm sorry for doing this to you Ness." As his whispered words reached my ears I turned to look at him, the questioning look on my face made him chuckle before he grimaced in pain. He raised one eyebrow and looked pointedly down at our joined hands and I closed my eyes with frustration, I smiled with false cheerfulness before deciding to play dumb saying "Jake it isn't your fault that the Volturi blind-sided us. How were you supposed to know? I am just glad that you're back and in one relative piece." I could hear the out of control edge to my words and I knew that Jacob heard them too. He smiled sadly up at me and said "Honey you know that isn't why I'm apologising. I should have taken more care with you; I shouldn't have put you in this situation, I knew better but the only thing I can say is that I love you and I will be here for you; no matter what." I dropped my eyes half way through his speech and I was only aware of crying when I watched a crystalline drop hit his chest, quickly followed in rapid succession by another and another. He shifted into a sitting position, completely ignoring my protests, and gathered me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his body as far as I could and clung tightly to him. This was what I had feared I would never get to do again and I knew that he had been feeling the same way. We clung to each other for several minutes until I heard my father and the others coming down from upstairs. I pulled away from Jake and sighed loudly "Alice." Jake looked puzzled before his eyes clouded in grief and he asked "She got hurt?" I nodded and said "Badly but not that badly that they can't put her back together." He swallowed and nodded his head before swinging his legs over the edge of the lounge he had been lying on. I yelped "What are you thinking? Lay back down this instant!" He smiled and said "I can't just lie here; I need to thank your family and mine for rescuing us, especially considering the cost." I stuttered and tried to push him back down but it didn't work, even in his extremely weakened state he was so much stronger than I was. I helped him stand in a semi-upright position before putting his arm over my shoulder, he looked down amusedly before saying "Honey that isn't really gonna help." I glared at him and said "Humour me please. I want you to lean on me. You have been through a lot in the last couple of days." He smiled before dropping a kiss on my mouth and a hand to my stomach; a stomach which jumped and rolled at his touch. I stared mutely up at him as he said "I love you, both, very much." I shook my head and said "What if Aro was wrong and I'm not pregnant?" I was shocked when a very wolfish grin spread across his face before he said "Then we'll have to practise until you are." I felt a hot blush flood my cheeks and I had to look away from the passion in his eyes. I cleared my throat and said brusquely "Since you insist on being up, let's go and see how the rest of my family are faring." I felt his chuckle as it vibrated through his body.

We walked across the room and we had barely made it to the doorway before an intense feeling of despair and pain washed over us. Jake looked down at me asking "Jasper?" I nodded saying "He can't control it. He is so scared and angry and frustrated that there isn't more that he can do. His pain and fury are cloaking the entire house, the next couple of days are gonna be hell around here considering that we were already on edge and fearful but having it magnified… let's just say that emotions are gonna run crazy if Jazz doesn't snap out of it soon." and with his arm wrapped around me we walked into the kitchen. We had just cleared the threshold when there was a fierce clashing sound, like a rock slide, and I panicked thinking the Volturi had attacked. I was pulled away from Jake and I cried out in surprise. It took my fried brain a second to realise that the sound had been my Dad and Emmett slamming into Jasper as he lunged for Jacob. I looked to where Jacob stood leaning against the door frame, his face set in a mask of surprise and horror. I broke free of Momma's restraining hold and crossed to Jake's side, when I got there I turned towards Jasper and snarled "What the hell are you thinking?" I touched Jacob to make sure he was okay and I saw the slight nod of his head to reassure me of his well-being, once I was sure he was okay I advanced on Jasper. I stalked across the kitchen to where he had been slammed down into a chair, held in place by the large strong hands of Dad, Emmett, and Carlisle. I bent over him and all the frustration, anger, pain, and fear I had been feeling on my own- magnified by his own emotions- exploded. I opened my mouth and was stunned to hear the screaming words I threw at Jasper. "I know you're scared and angry but attacking us is stupid, Alice knew what she was getting into and she would be extremely pissed at you for acting this way. I can't believe you would attack Jacob, this isn't his fault. He is a victim here, so are the other wolves and so is Alice, so snap out of this state of mind. If you want to know if Alice is gonna be ok ask Alyssa." I stopped when I felt Jacob's arms come around my waist, in gentle restraint, because it was then that I realised what I had been doing. I looked back at Jasper to see his head thrown back and a stunned expression on his face. There were several seconds of silence before Emmett said insultingly "That is a good idea and how come we didn't think about asking Alyssa?" I shot him a dangerous look before stalking past the chair that my family had Jasper strapped to, without another glance at their captive, and went and stood beside Carlisle. I reached out a hand and touched his wrist, he cocked his head to assess the whole Jasper situation before letting him go and preceding me back towards the door to Jacob.

He stopped in front of Jake and said "I would like to examine you to make sure that there will be no lasting damage from your time spent in captivity." Jacob rolled his eyes but kept his smart ass remark to himself instead he said "Where do you want me?" I sucked in a breath at the images that question created, even while his body was bruised and beaten I found him beautiful. I heard a sharp intake of breath and a low "Renesmee! I don't think that was what Carlisle meant." from my Daddy but I couldn't bring myself to be ashamed of finding my husband beautiful. I just rolled my eyes and followed Carlisle and Jacob through the lower rooms of the house and up the stairs to the room where Alice lay; quiet and unmoving. Even up here a whole house away from Jasper the air was thick with fear and pain, I guess it was amazing the strength of his gift, something that had only been muted before. It was hard to see her lying so still when all I had ever known was her boundless energy and constant movements, but to add to that Jazz's feelings I was emotionally overwhelmed. I moved closer to her side as Carlisle helped Jake sit on a spare bed, I could see the placed where her body had been torn apart and ugly red welts were it had been rejoined. I sat beside her and lent over kissing her face saying "I'm sorry Aunt Alice, you never wanted to come and you knew deep down that something wasn't right, but thank you for helping." There was no response and I felt my eyes well with tears before I took a deep breath to try and control my emotions. I shifted into a standing position and crossed to Carlisle side as he treated Jacob. I reached the bedside just as he slid a needle into Jake's veins, my stomach heaved and my head spun in increasingly darkening circles. I moaned, the sound drawing both sets of their eyes to my face, I opened my mouth to tell them that I was okay but nothing came out and darkness overtook my vision.

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><p><strong>Wow, terrifing Jasper. A glimpse of what he must have been like with Maria...<strong>

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	22. Where The Hell Am I?

**I Own the plot, that's it. Nothing else :)**

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><p>BOOK<p>

TWO:-

Jacob

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Where The Hell Am I?

'C'mon Nessie' I thought as she deliberated on whether she wanted to hunt. I watched as her gorgeous brown eyes flashed with amusement before she shot off away from me calling out "Catch me if you can Jake!" I laughed deeply before racing after her, a sudden flash of heat shot through my body as I phased on the fly, my gigantic russet brown paws striking the forest floor, already at full speed. I felt the wind whistle past my face as I lengthened my stride, trying to catch up to Nessie who had flown so quickly that I had momentarily lost sight of her. I shot through the darkening forest, missing trees and barely making prints in the damp undergrowth. A sudden noise had me pausing, a pungent stench reaching my nostrils, I wrinkled the skin between my eyes as I recognised the scent as vampires; but it wasn't a scent I knew. I debated whether or not to phase back and call Renesmee back to me or to howl and alert her that way. My indecision cost me, as I contemplated my course there was a high thin whistling noise and then several sharp stabs along my side, a cold drowsy feeling flowed through me. I turned my head and looked for the source of the pain and drowsiness, and was stunned to find at least a dozen small barbed needles sticking out of my fur. My surprise turned to fury as several vampires walked out of the forest toward me, they dragged a cage behind them and in that cage were Seth and Leah. As much as Leah could be a pain in the ass, especially after she decided it was for my own good that she didn't tell Ness that I had gone away, I really cared for both her and Seth, they were family and we had been through so much together. I stalked towards them, rage pumping through my body. I had taken maybe three steps before I stumbled, what the hell? I don't stumble, my agility and coordination was innate; I glanced down at my feet and was surprised to see the ground tilting slightly. I closed my eyes for a split second before opening them and focusing again on my captive family, as I raised my head I heard Seth shout from a distance greater than where they actually were. The world was spinning and dissolving before reforming before me, I closed my eyes again to try and help right the world but only succeeded in falling to my knees; knees? Wait a minute I shouldn't have knees. I remember phasing but as I lay face down I became aware of my naked skin touching the damp carpet of leaves and detritus that made up the forest floor. I turned my face so I could confirm what my mind already knew; I had phased back without knowing it.

I pushed to my knees and lifted my head to speak to the advancing vampires. "What do you want?" a single multi-toned laugh ran through the group as my words slurred together, coming out barely above a whisper. One, a male; maybe mid-twenties when he was changed, stepped forward and flicking his ash blonde fringe from his eyes he said "Aro sent us, as a wedding gift." I cringed inwardly at the mention of Aro. The self-appointed leader of the vampire royalty known as the Volturi, he had threatened our family once before but we had been triumphant. This didn't look like it was going to end the same way. I moaned in the back of my throat as I felt my tenuous hold on my consciousness slip, as my vision faded I heard the leader speak "We are to wait for Alec at the airport, he would have dealt with the Halfling by then." As I tumbled into blackness I cried out in my mind _'Renesmee'_ hoping against all odds that Edward was near enough to hear my panic.

I'm not sure for how long I drifted in and out of awareness but when I drifted in I noticed that Seth and Leah seemed more or less okay, Seth was worried about Haylee because he had been on his way to her house when he had been taken. Leah seemed keen for a fight, pacing to and fro inside the cage they had us locked up in. I heard snippets of their conversations but nothing suggested that any of them knew what the major plan was. In one of my lucid moments I overheard the two guarding us say that Jason was worried that Alec had never returned to meet them but he was pleased too because that meant that he was in charge. I figured Jason was the pale blonde from the forest. I got my answer as the cage door swung inwards and the tall blonde man walked in framed by thicker set men, who could have been twins they resembled one another so much. The strutting blonde exuded an air of smugness that grated on my frayed nerves, I struggled to my feet, finding it easier this time, as if the drugs they had given me had started to work their way out of my system. I stood up as straight as I could and faced the smug vampire, opening my mouth I said "So you're the moron that kidnapped us. You do realise what we are, don't you? The second your back is turned we're gonna rip you apart." The thin vampire sneered, his handsome face twisted but it didn't quite hide the weakness of his looks. He moved away from his guards and stopped in front of me, he moved around me in slow lazy circles. When he stopped to look in my face he laughed softly saying "We know what you are but, you see, we don't care. The drugs we have given you will prevent you from phasing and since you can't phase you're of no danger to us." To illustrate his point he swung his arm and punched me in the chest. I gasped as the blow landed doubling over as it knocked the air from me. I fell to my knees, gasping for breath. As I did I felt the sharp stabbing that meant a few broken ribs at least, I didn't see the kick coming but I felt it connect; the tiny amount of breath I had been able to inhale was forced from me as another kick was aimed into my stomach. The pain was too much and I felt myself slide into nothingness.

The next time I woke up I was coherent enough to speak to Seth and Leah, they seemed more concerned about me than themselves but I tried to reassure them that I was okay. I could see the pale yellowing of bruises on both their faces and the way Seth cradled his arm suggested that they had broken it for him. I forced myself to examine my own injuries, at least several broken ribs, but the injuries seemed more intent on annoying me than actually hurting me to kill. I listened carefully to the activity outside our prison to see how closely they were listening and watching. It was then that I realised that we had stopped and we were being unloaded. "Have they said where they are taking us?" as I spoke I realised that I was parched and that there was a small bottle of water lying at my feet, grabbing it up I unscrewed the lid and swallowed half the contents in one go. Seth moaned and said "Bro I don't think we should eat or drink anything they give us, what if it's poisoned?" I chuckled humourlessly "Seth they are gonna kill us anyway why would they deprive themselves of the pleasure of killing us by poisoning us?" Chucking him the bottle I murmured "Share this between yourselves and make sure to keep up your strength because if you get a chance to escape, I want you to take it" Both of them opened their mouths to argue but I held up a hand and said "That is an order!" and as Alpha I knew that they would obey. It was as I finished this thought that the door to our prison opened and Demetri walked in.

The years since I had last seen Demetri hadn't detracted from how gigantic the vampire was, built like a body builder on an overdose of steroids, Demetri was as violent as he was huge and I could see the sadistic gleam in his eyes as he walked into our cell. He raised his fist and it was then that I noticed the gleaming tranquilizer gun he carried. Before I could move he had aimed it and fired twice, both shots going past my tensed body and finding a home in either Seth or Leah. Both cried out in surprise and fell to the floor unconscious, the bottle of water hitting the floor and spilling its clear liquid onto the floor. I turned back to Demetri and said "So they finally let you off your leash did they?" I was rewarded for my smart ass comment by the second worst beating of the entire trip. It was as I lay face down on the cold metal floor, the water pooling around my face, that I heard the tranquilizer gun explode again. The last thing I felt was the sharp piercing of my skin as the drugged barbs stabbed me. It could have been minutes, hours, days or even weeks when I woke up again and when I did it was another room that surrounded me.

This one had no windows and it was a little more crowded than the last cell I had shared, maybe that had something to do with the other three wolves, I could tell that from the scent of their skin, that were sharing the space. I crawled over to Seth and Leah and checked that they were okay; I was relieved to see that they hadn't seemed to be beaten as badly as I had. When I had made sure they were safe I turned to the other captives in the room, crawling towards them I watched as they shrank against the wall, afraid that I was going to hurt them. I stopped mid-way and said softly "My name is Jacob, this is Seth and Leah. Do you know where we are or why we have been taken?" The trio of wolves stared warily at me before the male spoke, his English broken and stilting "We are Cameron, Vanessa and Antoinette and we were captured yesterday while out hunting. As far as I know we are within the walls of Voltera" I winced at the name of the city, I hated anything to do with the Volturi and this was the last place I wanted to be, seeing my wince Cameron continued "Worry not because our pack will come rescue us." I don't know if it is because we have just meet or because of the surety in his voice but his comment sent a chill skittering up my spine but before I could answer the door swung noisily open and it was with mounting horror that I recognised Jane.

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	23. NoOne Gets Out Of Here Alive

**I own nothing but the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE<p>

No-one Gets out Of Here Alive.

Clear colour was the first thing I noticed when I came to the next time, I kept my eyes closed and let my other senses explore for me. I was lying on smooth stones, worn from many centuries of feet walking over them; the air smelt of outdoors and vampire and werewolves, some of which I recognised causing panic to flow through my sluggish system. I lay quietly and kept my eyes closed as I listened to the exchange going on around me. It was Aro's voice I heard first and even though I had only met him once I knew he was up to something sinister and we had little or no chance of escaping. His words rang out through the battle field "We welcome you to Voltera friends, though I am surprised to see you all here." I snorted internally which almost drowned out the sweetest sound I had ever heard; a gasp from Renesmee, I wanted to cry with relief that they hadn't harmed her. I had refused to think about her the entire time of my captivity for the fear that they had hurt or killed her. I had to restrain myself from running over to her and gathering her within my arms and it was a furious hiss from Edward that told me I had done the right thing, his low and dangerous "Liar!" had me peeking from between my lashes to see the force they had amassed this time to face the Volturi. Fear and pain flowed through me when I realised that they were outnumbered three to one, and Seth, Leah, and I were useless thanks to the drugs they had given us. A feral snarl ripped through the quiet stand off and I was amazed to realise that it came from Nessie, I had never heard her make that noise before and it was the first time that she had actually sounded like a vampire. I decided to sneak a quick look at what was going on; as I did a pain, one unlike any I have ever felt, tore its way throughout my body. I opened my mouth to cry out but my cries were muted by a harsh "No!" from Edward and screaming and pleading from Renesmee. I tried to fight through the pain to get to her, she needed me and I had to be there. Suddenly the pain stopped and I fell onto the dirty stones of the street spent and unable to move. My breathing came in rasping gulps and I struggled against the darkness that was threatening, my body was beaten and bruised and I didn't know how much longer I was going to be able to hang on but I would fight with my last breath to protect Ness.

I heard, as if from a far away place, Edwards' deep voice warning Bella and Renesmee to do as Aro said if they wanted us safe. Panic chased the pain away because Aro must have something horrible in store for my rescuers if Edward was warning them to listen. I blinked heavily before closing my eyes to concentrate on breathing but my breath rushed from my body as Aro spoke again, his paper thin voice grating on my nerves like finger nails on a chalkboard. "Renesmee, can you come here please? Now Renesmee, I am fast becoming bored!" Anger and frustration obliterated any pain left in my system as I heard the low hiss from my family, I jerked off the floor but a dangerous look from Demetri had me holding my position, I knew that if I even tried to get near Nessie and Aro that I was putting her at more risk than if I remained still. I watched in mounting horror as Nessie walked towards Aro, her slight figure seeming smaller than normal compared to the vampires that surrounded her, as she held out her hand for Aro to take a tiny girl with flame red hair stepped forward and lightly touched Aro's arm.

Whatever she had let him see caused Aro to swear violently, I watched as Renesmee stumbled back to our side of the invisible line, the second she did she was restrained by Emmett. I shifted my gaze back to Aro and waited for him to speak again; I was concerned at the visible fury that emanated from his normally calm demeanour and as he spoke I could hear the fury behind his words. "Ah it seems congratulations are in order." He walked slowly, deliberately, towards me as Renesmee asked "Why?" I watched him warily as he neared me; he reached my side and wrapped a fist in my hair, dragging my head and body up, shaking my head around and making my teeth rattle. I still didn't make a sound, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing that I wanted to cry out. I didn't see the slap coming but I definitely felt it as it landed against my face. I felt my jaw crack as the slap broke it and as much as I wanted to ignore Aro and pretend I was unconscious I opened my eyes "Good you're awake. There is something you need to know before you die." As he spoke those words I had no doubt that he meant to kill as all before he would let any of us leave, I shot a look at Edward to try and confirm my suspicions, the small jerk of his head showed me that my thoughts had been correct. I felt resentment and a great surge of protectiveness sweep through me and I opened my mouth and asked "What makes you think that I care what you have to say?" I regretted my words instantly as a giant knife was pressed against my throat. I couldn't even swallow because if I did the blade would nick my throat and then all hell would break loose. I jerked back slightly as Aro leaned into me and snarled warningly "Be careful mutt, I could end your life with a flick of a wrist, then what would your mate do with your pup?" It took barely a second for Aro's words to penetrate my mind and as they did I heard myself gasp. As I took in the fact that Renesmee was pregnant I heard her laughing manically, the sound startling everyone. She gulped through her laughter "I think you're a little off this time Aro. I never thought that, so, I don't know where you got that but it wasn't from me." She laughed again, this time it sounded hysterical and I moved to go to her. Demetri moved quicker than I did though and he reached Renesmee, his snarling words reached my ears as I pleaded with Aro to not hurt her "Watch your attitude freak. It wouldn't take much to destroy you or the thing you sleep with." He backed towards me as Aro spoke quietly, walking towards the line facing them. He smiled widely before saying "See the thing is my dear Renesmee," Aro's voice was whisper quiet and deceptively calm as he continued "there is something your family doesn't know. Since our last _meeting _we have _acquired_" his voice dipped as he continued "a new member to our clan. Like Alice she can see the future, but unlike Alice she isn't _limited_ to only being able to see others like us or humans', Alyssa can you come here?" The tiny girl from earlier stepped up beside Aro, she didn't say anything as she just touched her hand lightly to Aro's before stepping further back into the group behind her. I struggled against the waves of pain still wracking my body to hear Edward hiss "She can see the wolves and she can see Nessie." His tone flat as Aro continued "She can see you, Renesmee, and do you know what she sees happening in the near future? No? Give up? You, she sees you, having a little wolf cub. I'm surprised at you, considering you had actually thought about this. Back in Forks after Billy died." I hissed in disbelief that he would even speak my fathers' name but before I could say anything I heard Nessie growl "Don't say his name." But Aro had continued to speak as if couldn't hear her "And again while on your honeymoon." I was surprised to know that she had been thinking this and hadn't told me but I also knew how protective I can get. "You have no idea what you're talking about. You are a nut case." I was shocked to hear Renesmee screaming and I struggled to my feet as Aro lashed out and slapped her face hissing "Don't speak to me in that tone, you need to learn some respect." I moved sluggishly towards Aro but Demetri came up behind me and whispered low in my ear "Good night." Before jabbing me with a drug filled needle. The last thing I saw was Demetri crossing the space between Renesmee and myself before I slid into unconsciousness.

I waded through the thick fog surrounding me and was surprised to find that I was being carried along by Seth and the other captive, Cameron, I tried to speak but all I managed was a low moan. I felt love and adoration flow through me as Renesmee came walking through our band of fugitives, she smiled and even through the dirt, dust and blood that covered her she was beautiful. She cradled my face gently saying "Hey baby, relax, we're okay." I tried to force myself to stop her from fading in and out "Nessie? Oh honey I am so glad to see you. Are you okay? What happened with the Volturi? Where are we, where is the rest of our family?" I wasn't really surprised to hear her huff out a breath and say "I am fine. I am a lot stronger than you all give me credit for, the rest of our family are fighting for our escape and Alyssa here has been kind enough to help us find an out. We don't have time for anything now" I opened my mouth to ask about the baby and the secrets about her health that she had kept from me but an irritated look crossed her face and she said "We will talk but first we need to get out of this blasted city and if you're up to it we could use your help." I hated feeling so weak and dependent so I shifted away from the helping hands of the other two men and gripped her in a tight hug before setting her from me and saying, over the top of her head, to Alyssa, the tiny red head from earlier "Thank you for helping us, now let's get out of here." The strange look Alyssa gave the two of us seemed almost sad before she cocked her head to the side and said "Come, we can't stay here anymore. They haven't noticed that we've bailed but it won't take them long to realise that your family are only diverting them and not actually fighting to kill." A wry chuckle fell from her lips and with a shake of her head she muttered "A clan of vampires only pretending to fight, what the hell?" Renesmee sighed and said "I know it can be a lot but we will explain it all to you, I promise." I watched as Renesmee walked to the front of our group and followed Alyssa through the labyrinth style streets. I forced myself to walk one foot after the other, denying that I needed help to cover the distance until we got to safety. There were times where my strength failed and I found myself slipping into unconsciousness and the when I was coherent I pushed away the helping hands. I shuddered as I felt my body start to give way and I instinctively knew that this black-out wasn't going to be a short one.

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><p><strong>Poor Jacob.<strong>

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	24. Was It Really Worth It?

**I own the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR<p>

Was It Really Worth It?

When I regained consciousness I was inside a building I didn't recognise but the gorgeous face bent over me was one I knew. I gripped her small hand in mine and watched her jerk her head up to my face, I smiled through the pain and said "Hey Nessie." She sobbed in the back of her throat before throwing herself over me. My pain-filled chuckle drew her gaze to my face, I tried and failed to hide a grimace of pain, her hands fluttered like tiny birds as she said "Oh my God Jake, I am so sorry. Where is it hurting? What can I do? Is there anything you need?" I could hear the hysteria in her voice and I forced myself to move and capture both of her wrists in one of my hands and said "That's enough Ness. I am fine, nothing a few hours won't fix. I want to know how you are, how both of you are." I loved the flush of colour that deepened in her face and she dropped her eyes and mumbled "I'm fine, honestly." I didn't believe her but I knew that if I pushed she would stress out even more and I knew that she had been through a stressful time already. I heard Bella, Rosalie and Esme leave the room but my mind had filled with doubts and things that hadn't happened yet; I was still amazed at the power of Renesmee and I watched her fear and doubt inside my head, like watching a movie. I was released from the visions quickly and I focused more sharply on her beautiful face; she was chewing on her bottom lip and there was a frown of exhaustion and fear marring her smooth skin and I felt a bone-deep pain that had nothing to do with my injuries. I gripped her hand tighter and whispered "I'm sorry for doing this to you Ness." She shook her head and stared back at me before saying "Jake it isn't your fault that the Volturi blind-sided us. How were you supposed to know? I am just glad that you're back and in one relative piece." She was a part of me and I knew her better than I knew myself and to think that she was refusing to admit to her fear because it was going to hurt me made me smile sadly up at her saying "Honey you know that isn't why I'm apologising. I should have taken more care with you; I shouldn't have put you in this situation, I knew better but the only thing I can say is that I love you and I will be here for you; no matter what." She shot a look at our joined hands before lowering her head in a defeated way, my heart shredded and I knew that I would do whatever she asked me to do if it meant she wasn't caused any more pain. I watched, in slow motion, as her first tear fell onto our hands, I didn't have time to wipe it away before it was joined by a flood. I dragged her closer to me and held her while she sobbed out her emotions. I didn't know what to say and I couldn't have formed the words past the huge lump in my throat and the tears that blurred my vision.

I held her like that for a shorter time than I really wanted to but we both heard the movement on the stairs and she pulled away from me saying softly "Alice." I cringed and asked "She got hurt?" she bobbed her head and said "Badly but not that badly that they can't put her back together." Her optimism was marred by the terror of losing a member of her family that shone in her eyes. I couldn't lie there on the borrowed sofa and not discover for myself the cost of rescuing us. I swung my legs off the sofa and moved to stand up "What are you thinking? Lay back down this instant!" She yelped and I smiled and said "I can't just lie here; I need to thank your family and mine for rescuing us, especially considering the cost." I ignored her stuttering as she tried to push me back down but it didn't work, even beaten like I was I was so much stronger than she was. As I tried to stand, in a semi-upright position, she grabbed my arm and put it over her shoulder; she looked up at me when I chuckled. I smiled before saying "Honey that isn't really gonna help." She glared and said "Humour me please. I want you to lean on me. You have been through a lot in the last couple of days." I smiled before dropping a kiss on her luscious mouth and a hand to her flat stomach; she stared mutely up at me and I said "I love you, both, very much." Renesmee shook her head slowly before saying "What if Aro was wrong and I'm not pregnant?" I felt a grin spread across my face before I said "Then we'll have to practise until you are." I watched the hot blush flood her cheeks before she cleared her throat and said brusquely "Since you insist on being up, let's go and see how the rest of my family are faring." I laughed gently at her before letting her lead me from the room. As we neared the door I was suddenly swamped by a tangle of fury, grief, disbelief and self-doubt and it took me a second to identify their origin I had never felt anything the likes of the emotions overcoming me. I shot Renesmee a fleeting glance saying "Jasper?" She nodded "He can't control it. He is so scared and angry and frustrated that there isn't more that he can do. His pain and fury are cloaking the entire house, the next couple of days are gonna be hell around here considering that we were already on edge and fearful but having it magnified… let's just say that emotions are gonna run crazy if Jazz doesn't snap out of it soon." We walked towards the back of the house and as we entered the kitchen I was surprised to see that everyone was there but we had barely crossed the threshold when I spotted a deranged Jasper snarling as he flew across the kitchen at me. I reached for Renesmee but she had been pulled away from me and was being held in Bella's protective grip; Emmett, Carlisle and Edward crashed against Jasper in an attempt to stop him getting to me. I back into the doorframe and stared in disbelief at the snarling snapping vampire in front of me and I was relieved that I, hopefully, would never be on the receiving end of Jasper and his anger again, he was vicious and frightening but when I looked at him closer I saw the fury was internal and nothing would help relieve that.

I opened my mouth to speak when a scream of rage sounded throughout the room; and for the second time in a few moments I was stunned speechless and I stood immobile, watching the scene play out. Renesmee stalked towards the centre of the room, screeching in disbelief "What the hell are you thinking?" She touched me slightly as she passed, which was enough for me to know she wanted reassurance that I was okay, and I gave a slight nod to reassure her that I was. If I had've known what she was about to do I would have grabbed her and help her tightly to my side but like everyone else in the room I stood stunned as she advanced on Jasper, stalking across the kitchen to where he had been slammed down into a chair, as I watched my wife bend over him and all the frustration, anger, pain, and fear I know she had been feeling on her own- magnified by his own emotions- exploded. She opened her mouth and started screaming at Jasper. "I know you're scared and angry but attacking us is stupid, Alice knew what she was getting into and she would be extremely pissed at you for acting this way. I can't believe you would attack Jacob, this isn't his fault. He is a victim here, so are the other wolves and so is Alice, so snap out of this state of mind. If you want to know if Alice is gonna be okay ask Alyssa." I felt myself move as I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms gently around her middle, mindful of the fact that our baby grew under my palms. I tugged on her slightly, she shot a bewildered look at me before turning her gorgeous eyes back towards Jasper who sat quietly, shocked, against the chair he had been forced into. There were several seconds of silence before Emmett said insultingly "That is a good idea and how come we didn't think about asking Alyssa?" Renesmee hissed in annoyance before tugging against my hold slightly; I shot a worried glance at Edward and saw him nod, telling me that she wasn't about to attack Jasper and get herself hurt, before letting her go. I panicked as she neared the chair that Jasper occupied but she deliberately ignored him before reaching out a shaking hand to touch Carlisle wrist. He cocked his head to assess the whole Jasper situation before he let go of the hold he had on the now sobbing Jasper and walking back to me. "I would like to examine you to make sure that there will be no lasting damage from your time spent in captivity." I rolled my eyes, I have always hated Doctors and Carlisle was fantastic but he was still a Doctor, I felt a response rising up but decided against saying in considering the current emotional shit everyone was going through. Instead I said "Where do you want me?" I heard a sharp intake of breath and a low "Renesmee! I don't think that was what Carlisle meant." from Edward so I shot a confused look at Nessie, I was amazed to see the look of devotion and absolute need shining in her eyes and all I wanted was to be alone with her and relearn everything about her. Edward growled lightly in the back of his throat before I grinned and followed Carlisle out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the room where Alice lay; quiet and unmoving. I was saddened by the sight of the small whirlwind of movement lying there so still and mangled. It wasn't until that precise moment that I realised fully just what lengths I would go to too protect the vampires I now called family. I turned away from the visual reminder of what the Volturi had once again done to my family and watched as Carlisle organised blood collection vials, gauze and tape. The last time he had treated me I had had almost one complete side of my body crushed by a new born vampire and I didn't really recall that experience with any great fondness but I trusted him. His soft questions had me concentrating on him instead of Nessie but it didn't stop me from hearing her talking to Alice about her grief over Alice not wanting to come in the first place. I sighed softly before sitting on the bed across from where Alice lay. I cringed slightly as Doc inserted the needle into the crease at my elbow, it wasn't that it hurt but I hated needles in any form. A breath I hadn't realised I had been holding onto escaped as Renesmee came and stood beside me, I looked up into her face and smiled softly at the tears that swam in her eyes. Carlisle grabbed a small piece of gauze and removed the needle from my arm, I held the ball of wool in place and looked up in surprise as a small moan came from Ness and before I could move her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted. I shot out the arm closest to her and snagged her around the waist before she could fall to the floor. I jumped up from the edge of the bed and gathered her closely against my chest "Ness? Nessie! Renesmee! Doc what the hell is happening?"

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	25. What The Hell's Wrong With My Wife?

**I own the plot nothing more nothing less :)**

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><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE<p>

What Is Wrong With My Wife?

As I lay an unconscious Ness onto the bed I felt a shiver of fear racing up my spine. I had never seen Renesmee sick let alone unresponsive; I huddled over her prone form, kissing her face and touching her hair. I was having terrible flashbacks to another pregnant girl lying on another bed unresponsive.

_Blood was everywhere and I was working laboriously over the faltering heartbeat of the woman I thought I loved, her body lay limp and only the sluggish beating of her dying heart kept my hands making compressions against her chest._

I blinked and the tears, and the distant memory clouding my vision, cleared. A strong pair of hands gripped my arms and I wasn't totally surprised to see Edwards' strained features before me. He frowned as the last thing in my mind filtered through his "She isn't Bella and she isn't dying! You need to move out of the way so that Carlisle can check her over and find out why she isn't waking." I growled deep in the back of my throat, I wasn't leaving and I would kill anyone who tried to make me. Edward rolled his eyes and said "I wasn't suggesting that you leave her, I was merely saying that you needed to move out of the way so he can treat her." I moved away slightly but I wasn't going far away from Renesmee. I cleared my clogged throat and whispered "Please find out what's wrong with her Doc." Carlisle glanced at me over the prone body of my wife and smiled sadly before saying softly "I will do whatever it takes to make sure Renesmee wakes up." I nodded and drew a deep cleansing breath into my lungs. A small choked sound came from Edward and I saw him squeeze his eyes shut as if in pain; I didn't even get to ask what the matter was when he sighed "Bella" I knew that whatever he had just heard had come from the mentally mute Bella, who was the only one we knew of that was immune to Edwards' probing mind-reading ability. I wondered briefly about what she had thought and why she chose to lift her mental veil instead of saying whatever it was but the movements beside the bed drew my eyes and my complete concentration.

I must have sat in the one position for at least a day before Carlisle came to me and said quietly "Jacob we are getting nowhere, I cannot run the tests we need here and we cannot fly out of this country with two unconscious women and especially when one is as bad off as Alice. I promise you I will find out what is wrong with Renesmee but to do that we need to go home." I nodded but I knew deep down that I didn't care about anyone except Ness and who really cared if no-one else made it? A horrible guilty feeling washed through me as I thought that and I regretted it immediately, I opened my mouth to say something to Carlisle when the door to the sick-room opened and the newest vampire in our weird little band walked in. I hadn't really paid any attention to this strange creature that aided us in our escape from the Volturi and as she glided silently into the room I was struck by how young she actually was, she looked to be mid-teens maybe fourteen. She walked further into the room, her head cocked slightly to the side and an unfocused look in her eyes. "She won't wake for a while. I don't know why she is unconscious but I can tell you that she will wake but it won't be anytime soon." I sat stunned as her Brooklyn-thick accent washed through the room, she moved closer to Alice and her eyes became even more unfocused "This one will wake within the fortnight, we have at least that time before the Volturi will have decided what to do about _our_" she said the word sarcastically "win over their forces. I am having trouble seeing the foetus though." I surged towards her but she side-stepped my lunge at the last second, causing me to crash into the wall, she chuckled and said "I saw you doing that, I am not trying to cause you pain, you are putting yourself through enough agony without my help. I am just saying this has never happened before, I can see anyone I concentrate on, human, vampire, werewolf, animal, mineral, vegetable. I am stumped."I stared open-mouthed at the child before saying to the Doc "Why is that do you think?" He paused in his examination of Renesmee before saying "I am not sure maybe it is because this baby is something we have never encountered before, maybe she can't see this baby because its future isn't fixed, maybe her power is limited after all; I am at a loss but I do know that from the limited things I can do here that Renesmee seems to be in perfect health, a little run down but healthy. So I am suggesting that we take it one day at a time and wait for Alice to wake so we can move both of them safely." A lead weight lay in my stomach as I thought about waiting in a strange country, with our enemies practically on our doorstep and a pregnant wife who wouldn't wake up but I trusted Carlisle to do the right things for our family.

I left Nessie's side briefly to go and check on Leah and Seth and I wasn't entirely surprised to find that Leah, who hadn't remained in the house once we got back from Voltera, was with Cameron. No-one was more surprised than Leah had been when Cameron had imprinted on her; she had always assumed she was a freak because she had the 'gene' and that her chances of settling down and raising a family were obsolete once she accepted her destiny. But imprint they did and since then, like every imprinted couple they were inseparable. Once I tracked them both down I outlined the plan Carlisle had given us, we waited until either both of the girls woke up or Alice woke and then we go home. As usual Leah had to be a pain in the ass she refused point blank to return home, where Seth on the other hand was eager to go and see how Hayley was. I ranted at her that she had responsibilities back home that she couldn't ditch to remain in a country where she didn't even speak the language. We had a massive argument and it probably would have continued if it hadn't of been for Cameron, he stepped between us and spoke gently to Leah "Cara Mia we should go to your home and see your mother, I am needing to speak to her about something rather important, and since I have no high responsibilities within my tribe I am free to move on and find another." As he said this he turned to me and asked sincerely "If you would have me I would like to pledge my allegiance to your pack." I stared at him for several long seconds; seconds in which Leah twitched in anger at my procrastination, before saying to Cameron "You have proven yourself to be trustworthy and loyal and we would be grateful to have you as a member of our pack. Though I must remind you that I am not the Tribe leader, that is Sam and he is Leah's cousin so he might not be to welcoming." Leah snorted and muttered something under her breath that sounded like "If he knows what's good for him he won't say anything." I grinned and before leaving I said I would check on them everyday, to give them progress reports and to make sure that everything was going well with them. As I turned to leave Seth stopped me and I could tell from the look on his face that what he was about to say didn't sit well with him, he opened his mouth than closed it before shaking his head and saying "Leah I am gonna head back with Jake, see you tomorrow." Leah laughed and waved a dismissive hand before returning her attention back to Cameron.

Seth and I walked for a while without actually saying anything but I knew that Seth was getting his thoughts in order so he could say them without it sounding wrong. "I don't want this to sound like I am bitter or anything but do you really think we can trust Cameron and their tribe?" I shrugged and said "I honestly don't think they did what they did meaning us any harm, the Volturi had told them that we were in danger, they thought they were helping us; I know they were misguided but I honestly think that they meant to do the right thing, it just got lost in the wrongness of the situation. There is an upside to trusting them, Leah will leave you alone to live your life without interference, haven't you been moaning about that for a while now?" I jabbed him gently in the ribs laughing when he rolled his eyes and said "I guess but what if they're responsible for what is happening to Nessie?" I tensed at his mention of Ness but shrugged again before saying "Edward doesn't think they are and Carlisle doesn't have any idea as to why she is unresponsive. I don't know what is going on with Ness and I will be the first person to hunt down the creature responsible if it turns out that is why she is unconscious but we can't really place the blame on the pack here." Seth scuffed his toe along the road as we walked in silence for a minute or two. He sighed deeply and said "I know; you're right we can't blame them but I need something to blame, something to hurt, someone to take my frustration out on." I nodded and said "I feel the same way but honestly I don't think that will help anyone. Hopefully we won't have too much longer to wait, Alice might wake up sooner and then we can go home and forget this ever happened." Seth's shoulders dropped and whispered "I know and I can't wait to hug Haylee again. I really miss her." I laughed and said "I know the feeling, and I would understand if you wanted to fly out sooner but we are hoping to have everyone remain close just in case the Volturi launch an attack." Seth had stopped walking and I turned back to face him, he was staring at his feet and he didn't realise that I could see the grimace of pain that crossed his face as he made his decision. He lifted his eyes to meet mine with such an incredulous look on his face that I chuckled as he said "I want to go home to Haylee so badly it's like a physical pain but I wouldn't even think about leaving you here unprotected! I can't believe you would think I would bail on you!" I walked back towards him and drew him into a one-armed hug "Seth I didn't think you wanted to bail but if it was Renesmee halfway around the world I would want to be there and not here." He smiled slowly and said "Man, I can't wait til we can bail on this place. I am never coming to Italy again; actually I never want to leave home again its way too painful." I shoved him in the shoulder and we walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence.

The hours moved slowly as we held our collective breath for both Alice and Renesmee to wake up, those hours were spent in the room at the top of the stairs and were mainly spent in quiet, though I made sure that both women were kept up to date with what was happening around them. I barely left the room and did so under threat from Carlisle that he would sedate me if I didn't eat and get some sleep. I opted for human food since hunting had lost its appeal without Nessie to hunt with, and I only slept when I couldn't hold my eyes open any longer and the sleep I did get was sitting in the chair next to Nessie bed. I barely spoke to the other people inside our fortress and when I did leave the room I was never alone, I think they feared that I would do something stupid like hunt down the Volturi but that was as far from my mind as imminent destruction could be. In the middle of the day the sick-room was bathed in muted light, the curtains drawn to save my eyes from the shimmer thrown by Alice's skin, and as I sat there watching my comatose wife the door opened and Bella glided in. She stood next to me, placing her ice cold hand against my bare shoulder. I was still amazed that all the feelings that I had had for Bella had disappeared the second I laid eyes on Renesmee. I flinched slightly at the cool touch but remained seated; I didn't even look at her as she spoke. Her voice soft with love as she moved and fixed the blanket covering her only child, she perched lightly on the edge of the bed and said "Jake it isn't your fault." I huffed in disgust but she continued anyway "You know it isn't. Did you bring the Volturi after us? Did you ask us to come after you? Don't be stupid Jacob." I chuckled dryly as her words drew memories from our past into my brain; I smiled saying "It was so much simpler than, wasn't Bels?" She nodded, not even pretending to misunderstand what I was saying but I continued anyway "Back when you were you, and alive and human, and I was me, human and fragile, there weren't any vampires or anyone else that wanted our heads on a plate." She grinned, showing off every one of her gleaming white teeth, saying "Yeah it was but we wouldn't have been happy Jake. We would have gone on with our lives missing something, not knowing what it was but missing it anyway. The universe had different plans for us, we had roles to play." I nodded sadly, I knew what she said was the truth but what good was the truth when it didn't help with the pain.

Every morning I woke, hoping for some sign of life from either of the women that I shared the room with, and was bitterly disappointed when neither of them seemed any different and as the days turned to weeks I worried more that neither of them were going to wake and that Alyssa had been sent to detain us so that the Volturi could regroup, this thought was quashed by Edward who said that every thought Alyssa had was of how to escape Italy intact but I couldn't help the bitter thought. On the morning that marked the thirteenth day of silence I was once again sitting beside Nessie's bed when a movement drew my eyes. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, thinking that I obviously was seeing things, before focusing more intently on where I had seen the movement before. It took another moment, a moment in which I thought I had lost my mind, before the movement was repeated. I jumped away from Nessie and called out "Doc, Edward, anyone!" I was immediately surrounded by seven on edge vampires; Carlisle raced to Renesmees' side and checked that everything was okay with her but he couldn't figure out why I had called them in such a panicked tone, they all stood staring at me as if I had lost my mind. Swallowing over a dry throat I pointed at the bed across the room, when all seven pairs of eyes followed my finger I said "I saw her fingers moving, I think she is waking up!" Jasper's red-tinged eyes swung between me and Alice before he pushed past me and slid to a stop beside Alice's sick-bed, he gathered her battered body against his and kissed her forehead saying "Honey wake up! Come on Alice, I need you, please." I prayed silently that his attempts would work because it would mean that the tides were turning and that we might just be able to survive this. I sucked in a giant breath when her rough voice crocked "Once again when I open my eyes on a new life you are the first thing I see." Everyone laughed in a relieved way, rushing to her side checking she was okay. She struggled into a sitting position and, from seemingly nowhere, a cup of blood was pushed into her small pale grasp. I could smell the distinctive human tang to the blood, I knew it meant the blood was donated and that Carlisle figured this was the best way to get Alice back to full strength, but it still sat weirdly with me to watch them drink human blood. I was relieved to see that the blood seemed to have an immediate effect on Alice, her wounds lost some of their redness and her skin seemed to obtain a glow that had been missing since they had bought her back. I crept quietly back to Nessie's side, not wanting to rain on their happiness because I knew my happiness rested on the woman lying unmoving on the bed.

A movement beside me drew my gaze to where Alice stood staring down at Renesmee she smiled sadly at me before saying softly "I am glad to see that you are okay Jacob." I cleared my throat noisily before saying "It's great to see you up and about Alice." She moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed. I noticed, uneasily, that her eyes had turned an almost violent shade of scarlet since her ingestion of human blood but a bigger part of my brain was so relieved to see her up and about talking that it didn't care about the colour of her eyes. I shifted my gaze back towards Renesmee, causing Alice to do the same. It was as she did this that Edward gasped "Carlisle why did you do that?" I jumped slightly and shot him a quizzical look before looking at the Doc who had a sheepish look on his face "I had no other option. I figured that Ness would have given the blood if she had been conscious and since we can't exactly go down the street and ask a random person I thought this was the best solution." I growled in disbelief as what he was saying penetrated my sleep deprived mind, I pushed my way out of my chair opening my mouth to speak when Alice's voice interrupted softly "I know that this probably isn't the best time but I think you need to pull the blanket back and check Nessie." I dropped beside Ness and dragged the blanket away from her inert form. I was stunned at what I saw when my eyes moved over her; this morning, when I had done the exercises that Carlisle had shown me to do in order to keep her body working properly, there had been no change but now as we stared down at her there was a bulge under the soft cotton of the baby doll top she wore with boxer shorts. I reached out a shaking hand and ran my hand over the soft rounding of her stomach. I looked up at Carlisle and he pushed his way through to our side, crouching down beside us he preceded to watch and listen intently to what was going on inside of Renesmee.

As we watched the bulge shifted and moved under her skin. I followed the movement with my hand, awed by the knowledge that the movement meant the baby was okay. I felt a tear slid down my cheek but I made no move to wipe it away. I looked over at Alice who had also placed a gentle hand against Renesmees' stomach and watched in amazement as she bent her head, lying it against the soft mound, and whispered "You are going to be a handful little one." before moving away and closing her eyes; she opened them tiredly, looking for and finding Jasper who lifted her effortlessly into his arms and whisked her out of the room. I opened my mouth to speak but Edwards' restraining hand stopped me, he smiled softly and said "For some reason, one she can't explain, Alice is connected to your child. She can see its future clearer than she can see her own." I nodded but my head screamed questions at him that I knew he didn't know the answers to and I wasn't shocked to see his eloquent shrug before he bent and kissed Nessie's cheek, placing a strong palm over the baby and concentrating hard on the child within. I hoped that he would be able to hear what was going on within the baby's mind but he shook his head and whispered "I couldn't tell with Nessie 'til she was bigger." I nodded, remembering that day vividly, and watched in silence as everyone but Carlisle filed out of the room.

Barely a week later Alice declared herself fit to travel home and as long as she kept a scarf on and clothing with long sleeves no-one would know that she had been dismembered and put back together again, like some real life bride of Frankenstein. I was eager to return home so that Carlisle had his whole hospital of equipment to diagnose what was wrong with Renesmee. Every day since Alice had woken and alerted us to the changes going on inside Nessie I was awed by what was happening within her. It seemed as if she got rounder everyday and with each passing hour I became more desperate to have her wake up. I asked Alyssa everyday when it was going to happen but she was still unsure especially considering she still couldn't see the baby. Alice on the other hand remained tight lipped and closed minded about the baby, even Edward was getting annoyed at how protective she was about its future. Once she felt a little better Alice would come and sit for hours beside the bed on which Renesmee lay, her small hand curling protectively over the swelling bump of the baby. I remembered how protective and possessive Rosalie had been over Bella during her pregnancy and I had asked Edward about it years afterwards and he refused to tell me her story and in the end my natural curiosity got the better of me and I asked Rosalie why she had been so determined to have Bella give birth when it all but killed her (and in the end actually did) and her soft response had caught me off guard. I had never heard the soft and loving tone she used in her voice before, she had always been hard and sharp edges, before and as she told me of the one thing she had ever wanted; a baby. Something that she was denied by first her fiancé and his friends and then by Carlisle who saved her life by making her immortal and she opened up enough to say that Ness had been her one shot at being, almost, a parent, or the closest thing to it. I found myself nodding but when she walked away from me I had found myself sitting for hours trying to decipher the meaning behind her words and failing miserably. Now, however, with a baby of my own on the way I understood the feelings and emotions she had talked about and I knew that on some level the things Rosalie had felt were now being felt by Alice.

That was why I wasn't surprised to see her there when I got back from my hunt and she smile welcomingly when I walked into the room, she gestured back towards the door and said "You might wanna go pack because Carlisle has decided we can leave today, he thinks he will have little or no trouble getting only one unconscious person through customs." I grinned and said sheepishly "Um I kind of have been living out of a packed suitcase since you woke up." She laughed and said "I know but go and check that you have everything, I am pretty sure that Renesmee would be annoyed if you left her grey top behind, it fell down behind the bed in the third bedroom on the second floor." I was shocked that she could see Renesmees' reaction but I kept it to myself and went and scoured the house for anything that belonged to either of us, stunned to find that besides the grey blouse and a pair of shoes near the front door all of our belongings were in the one place. This shocked me because neither of us was well known for keeping things where they belonged. I ran into Carlisle on my hunt of the house and he confirmed Alice's prediction saying "She is as stable as we are going to get her and Alyssa is worried that the Volturi are closer to gathering a force than we are at having one to fight them with." I nodded and said "No worries, Alice already told me that we were leaving so I am doing a last minute sweep of the house before making sure that Leah and Seth are ready to leave." Carlisle smiled and asked "How is Leah doing?" I smiled grimly saying "As long as she is with Cameron she is fine. Trust her to turn all girly when we need her to be her usual bitchy self." Carlisle laughed but sobered quickly, and I knew it was only because at this time in our tenuous peace nothing actually seemed funny, before saying softly "We leave tonight, just before midnight. I am hoping at that hour the airport security will have had to long a day to bother with us." Shaking my head and shifting nervously from one foot to the other I said "Are you expecting trouble?" I really didn't think that I could handle spending anymore time in Italy than we already had and if he was expecting trouble I wanted to be prepared for the disappointment of not going home, Carlisle just shook his head before saying "No, not really but that is usually when it strikes, isn't it? Not to mention that world security is tighter and getting unconscious people through security might raise a few eyebrows." I sucked in and blew out a deep breath before saying "Okay, I will go and pack the rest of our stuff and make sure Leah, Cameron and Seth are ready to leave."

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><p><strong>Please review<strong>

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	26. Heading Home Has Never Been So Difficult

**I own juts the plot:)**

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><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX<p>

Heading Home Has Never Been So Difficult

As midnight approached and the anxiety levels peaked I barely left Renesmees' side and funnily enough neither did Alice. I had gotten used to a vivacious person when it came to Alice and her boundless energy but this Alice was a different creature altogether; she barely spoke and when she did it was softly and she only said what she needed to and nothing more. If I wasn't so worried about Nessie I would have been extremely concerned about Alice and I wasn't the only one. The entire house seemed stressed and ready for a fight; everything was packed and checked several times by different people every time to make sure that nothing was left behind. I stayed in the small room with Nessie while everything was loaded within the vans that the Cullen's had gotten for our use. The transfer of Nessie from the house to the van along with the possessions of eight vampires (Alyssa had been sharing Alice's wardrobe since she had nothing of her own) and four werewolves should have been a bigger deal than what it actually was but thanks to super speed, hearing and strength it was accomplished with minimal fuss. We left the sanctity of our borrowed home in precise military formation, weakest in the middle surrounded by strongest, this made me uneasy because I had to relinquish Nessie to Esme for the short time it took for us to reach the vans; not that Esme would hurt her or allow her to get hurt but it meant that I wasn't holding her and protecting her myself. The drive to the airport was another feat of military precision, thanks to centuries of experience from Jasper, we reached the international terminal with no drama and this made me uneasy. Surely the Volturi wouldn't just let us waltz out of their country after we had caused such casualties, and as we reached customs my thoughts seemed prophetic.

The man behind the counter of the customs desk frowned as we neared and his gaze was drawn to Renesmee, who I cradled within my arms, saying in halting English "What is wrong with the child?" I felt myself growl low in the back of my throat, luckily for us the sound wasn't detected by the suspicious guard but didn't go unnoticed by our surrounding group. Carlisle shot me a furtive look and I wasn't stupid enough to miss the warning it contained. Carlisle turned his attention on the guard and smiled warmly; saying in flawless Italian, which I didn't understand but which Edward who was standing beside me translated quickly and quietly into my ear "She is my daughter and she has fallen into a coma while we have been here on holiday, we are taking her back home." The unsmiling guard looked at the amount of people in our group and reached for the phone sitting on the desk, picking it up he pressed a single button and waited for the person on the other end to answer, it was no trouble for all of us to hear both sides of the conversation and even though it was in Italian, and whispered into the phone, I listened to the low translation Edward was muttering for those of us who didn't speak flawless Italian. "There is a group of Americans here with a teenage girl. She is unconscious and they seem eager to get her out of the country. The leader, he is insisting, she is his daughter but I am not so sure." The female voice on the other end of the call said "Detain them, I will send the police to speak to them, tell them that some of their paperwork isn't in order until they get there and sort out this problem." The customs officer hung up the phone and pasting a false smile onto his face he said "I am going to have to ask you to follow me into the back, there seems to be a problem with your paperwork, if you wouldn't mind." He gestured with his arm that we should precede him and I followed the rest of our band of escapees into a windowless cell behind the customs desk.

We waited for what seemed like an eternity, but in actual fact it was more like fifteen minutes, for the police to arrive. I had never seen any of the Cullens' anything less than in total control and in any other instance I probably would have enjoyed their discomfort at being detained. Emmett paced the small cell like a caged lion while Rosalie dropped into one of the waiting chairs with a nail file in her hand. Jasper walked the perimeter of the room and I wasn't sure of why he did this until Edwards asked softly "Are there any weaknesses within the structure of the wall?" Jasper shook his head and said "Not in the walls but we could go through the roof." I gawked at them in disbelief as they stood there discussing a possible escape as if it was breakfast. Carlisle and Alice stood behind me as I cradled Nessie within my arms. I looked up at them in time to see Alice's eyes go distant, she stayed that way for a while but before she could speak Alyssa said "They are coming and if we are polite and have enough medical paperwork they will let us go." Out of habit everyone in the room looked at Alice who nodded and said "I can't tell you until the woman walking down the hall decides what to do with us, trust Alyssa on this." Esme, who had such a mothering soul, crossed to Alice's side and wrapped one strong arm around her daughters shoulder before kissing her temple. We could all hear the tapping of heels getting closer as the woman neared our cell, the closer she got the more nervous and agitated I became. I saw Jasper stop pacing and close his eyes, I knew what was coming even before the calm washed over me; my heart skipped a beat as the handle was turned and door was pushed open.

A woman walked in and sat down at the table across from where I held Nessie against my heart. She raised one perfectly waxed eyebrow and said "Shouldn't she be on a bed?" I shook my head, opening my mouth to speak but Carlisle spoke before I could. "Her name is Renesmee and this is her husband Jacob. He is very protective of her, I was her legal guardian until she got married and I love her like a daughter. This is the rest of my family" he indicated the people standing behind us "and these two" he pointed out Alyssa and Cameron, who we had checked had passports before we included them in our plans "are friends whom are coming back to America with us for a holiday, can you please explain to us why we are being detained." The police woman refused to answer and instead asked "May I please see all of your paper work." I watched Carlisle hand over every forged document we had, which if it was discovered they were fake could land us a lifetime in prison which would blow the whole immortal never aging thing, and I had never been more grateful to the unknown Mr Jenks who supplied them to us when the officer said "This all looks in order but I am concerned about the girls wellbeing. We received a call from a well known member of our community who gave us a lead on a people smuggling ring, I must see this girls medical papers before I can rule." She held her hand out for the papers Alyssa warned Carlisle they would ask for and I cringed slightly when he handed them over without hesitation. The tall woman stood, gave each of us a lingering look, and walked from the room. Alice sighed and crouched down beside Nessie "She has decided to let us leave. I wonder if…." She didn't have to finish her statement about whether or not the Volturi were behind our detainment because we had all thought the same thing. Edward on the other hand knew exactly who had given the 'lead' to the police and said "It was Jane. Apparently this isn't the first time they have paid to have people detained but it is this particular officers' first call. She doesn't like the order and she was intent on disobeying. Hopefully this doesn't get her killed." I readily agreed and looked over at Alyssa who had her eyes closed and looked as if she was sleeping, as I watched her eyes slide open and she spoke in a flat tone "She will live, the Volturi will not readily open war on civilians after such a battle and even if they weren't suffering such heavy losses they wouldn't risk people finding out about them or the vampire community losing respect and fear of them." Carlisle nodded and said "I agree with Alyssa. The Volturi are all about rules and even though we can be guaranteed of retribution we have nothing to fear form this woman."

Waiting had never been a particularly strong trait of mine and with Nessie pressed so close to me I could feel the baby moving inside her as if it was picking up the tension in the room. Alice who still hadn't straightened out of her crouch beside me placed a calming hand against the bump and whispered "It's okay beautiful one, we will all be okay." I was stunned to feel one sharp kick against me before the baby lay quietly as if it had heard Alice. I opened my mouth to ask Alice what she knew when the door opened again and the officer walked in, she smiled tightly before handing Carlisle back all our paperwork and saying "Everything seems to be in order and we are sorry for the delay, your flight is ready to be boarded and if you would kindly follow this officer he will make sure you get to the gate. Have a nice flight." I stood quickly and filed into the line forming behind the officer who's job it was to escort us to our flight we all walked quietly, and frustratingly slowly, behind the short balding man who led our pack. We walked for a few minutes before he stopped and gestured through the gate, rattled off some quick Italian and left us to ourselves. I saw a look of concern flitter across Edwards' face and I wondered briefly if they had set a trap for us behind the closed door, Edward turned to me and said "No trap he was just thinking some rather disturbing thoughts about the female population of our group." I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the retreating figure of the customs officer saying "That is so gross! They could be his granddaughters." Edward laughed freely for the first time since this whole thing had started before saying "Jacob half of this group could be distant ancestors to him, not the other way around." I grinned, snorting in amusement before following him through the open terminal door.

Our flight boarded barely five minutes after we walked through the terminal door and as the plane taxied down the runway I felt some of the tension that filled me go away, we were on our way home and nothing was going to stop us. I made sure Renesmee was comfortable before lifting the armrest and snuggling next to her, closing my eyes and sleeping for what seemed like the first time in a long time. I was woken by the crackling sound of the PA system as the flight attendant announced our descent into SeaTac international airport I think I breathed properly for the first time since we had been taken. I waited impatiently for the plane to stop and for the flight attendant to say we could disembark, when the announcement came I had to wait for all the other passengers to leave before me so I wouldn't be bumped while scooping Nessie into my arms. I followed the rest of our not so merry band of travellers out into the arrivals lounge and then followed Carlisle out towards the parking terminal where they had parked the cars, grateful that they had thought to bring the black BMW that Carlisle usually drove, the gigantic flame red Jeep that Emmett favoured and the sleek dark blue Volvo S80 that Bella drove all with the darkest legally possible tint. I guess they figured they would have a few of us to transport without Alyssa and Cameron now being added to the total. We separated into groups without any real thought being placed on it; I climbed into the back of Bella's car with Edward driving, Bella in the passenger seat and Renesmees' head resting in my lap.

Silence reigned as we made the reasonably short trip home to North Bend in convoy format. As we pulled into the drive way of the Cullens' home I gingerly carried Nessie through the front door and, without stopping or asking where I should put her, up the stairs to the room Carlisle had set up after Nessie had tripped down the stairs and we discovered that she wasn't as unbreakable as we had thought she was. I laid her softly on the white sheets, pulling the loose one over her small form. I dragged a chair over to the side of the bed and flopped down into it, I was so exhausted that I was having trouble breathing. My mind seemed to have shut down completely but I heard the footsteps nearing the door and wearily opened my eyes to see Carlisle and Alice standing just inside the door and I was suddenly wide awake. "Are we going to do some tests now?" Carlisle nodded and said "The first one we want to try is an ultrasound, and then I want to run some more blood tests and maybe try and have a look at her head but with her being pregnant that might be difficult." I shifted into a sitting position and looked past Carlisle to Alice who was standing anxiously just inside the door. She looked even more pale and drawn than she had since she had woken up after being hurt, she had a small frown creasing the normally smooth skin between her eyes; she cocked her head to one side and spoke quietly "Can I stay while you perform the tests, since no blood will need to be drawn I have no problem staying." I screwed my mouth up as I thought about her request but before I could speak Carlisle said "I see no problem with you staying and with your, connection, with the foetus you might come in handy." I was even more interested in her connection to my unborn child as she crossed the room and perched on the other side of the bed to me, anxiety drenching her entire body.

We both sat rigidly still as Carlisle moved around the room and switched machines on while completing several mundane tests like blood pressure and temperature. He wheeled a large machine into the room from the hall, a machine I remembered from when Bella was pregnant. The ultrasound machine whirred to life as he plugged it in and while we waited for it to warm up, to break the tense silence that radiated through the room I said, only slightly joking "Let's hope this isn't as futile as it was with Bella." Alice glared at me sharply before placing a soothing hand on Nessie's bump and saying "Stop that will you! The baby is worried enough as it is. We don't need your jokes about things going wrong." Carlisle placed a quieting hand on her shoulder and said "Alice, Jacob was trying to lighten the mood; he didn't mean anything by it. You should know that already." I watched in stunned silence as Alice took a deep, if not pointless, breath; nodding and saying to Carlisle "Fine, get these tests out of the way. The baby is holding as still as it can so you can do what you need to do." Both Carlisle and I looked at each other as he adjusted Renesmees' shirt and pants so he could access her rounding stomach. I sat in silence, holding Renesmees' hand, breathing as little as possible; as if that was going to make the procedure work any better. As the Doc squirted the gel onto the exposed bump that covered my child I looked over at Alice's pale features and was surprised to see her wince as the gel hit the smooth skin of Nessie's belly. I sucked in a sharp breath and breathed at her "Is that hurting the baby?" She shook her head sharply saying "No it's just really cold and the baby felt slightly uncomfortable." Carlisle rocked back slightly and said "It was always assumed the baby was isolated from the elements because of the skin and placenta; you will definitely come in handy throughout this pregnancy Alice." She snorted and said "Great, just what we need; me to be more helpful." Both Carlisle and I looked questioningly at her but she shook her head and said "Just get on with it, the baby is getting annoyed and won't hold still much longer."

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><p><strong>Over protective Alice... <strong>

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	27. What Is It?

**I Own The Plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN<p>

What Is It?

Carlisle shifted his attention back to the machine beside him and rubbed the wand over the baby bump. He frowned at the machine as he moved the ultrasound wand in widening circles. His frown cleared and was replaced by a stunning smile; he looked up at me and said "Fantastic, we will be able to get a picture of what is happening inside Renesmee. The ultrasound is working. Do you see that?" he asked me as he pointed to the clear images on the screen, well they must have been clear to him but to me all I saw was black and grey splotches; I lifted my shoulders in a shrug and said "Um, sure. I see it." The Doc chuckled before he pointed at the screen saying "That is the placenta and this is your baby." As the wand paused over the bump I was amazed to see the perfect image of my child's face and as we watched the baby moved its little hand as if it was waving at us. I breathed in adoration as the Doc continued clicking pictures on the machine, the baby shifted slightly and Alice hissed "Stop pushing so hard!" The Doc looked over at her and she said "It is digging into the baby and if you want cooperation than stop trying to squish it." Carlisle nodded and lessened the pressure he was using to gain an insight into the world the baby inhabited. I moved my eyes back to the moving pictures on the screen and watched the emerging pictures. Carlisle took measurements and snapped more pictures, Alice became more and more tense throughout the procedure and I fell more and more in love with the creature my beautiful wife and I had created; and for the first time I truly understood the feelings Bella had had while she was pregnant with Renesmee. I would do or give anything to protect this being from the world. I looked down at Renesmees' closed eyes and peaceful features, wondering just what I was willing to give up for my child and I knew that if I had to choose it would be Renesmee, I couldn't live with myself if I lost her.

While I had been lost within my thoughts the Doc had continued his examination, he moved slightly and suddenly the four of us were no longer the only people in the room; Edward and Bella were there too. I started to panic thinking something was wrong but Edward placed a cold hand on my shoulder and said "Nothing is wrong, Carlisle is about to check for the sex of the baby and he thought we might like to be here for it if you don't mind." I breathed out forcefully and said "Thank God! Of course I don't mind, it isn't like we'd be able to keep it from you and you can't keep anything from Bella; not to mention that this is your grandchild and, if she was awake, Renesmee would want you here." I looked back at the Doc and said "Is everything okay? With both of them, I mean." He laughed and said "As far as I have been able to determine the baby and Renesmee are fine." I closed my eyes and thanked whoever it was that looked after us that she was going to be okay but the fact that she was still asleep frightened me "So why is she still unconscious?" At this Carlisle shrugged and said "She is perfectly healthy and as far as I can tell there is no reason for her to be in a coma, other than maybe emotional and physical exhaustion, but she is so we just need to keep doing what we are doing and go from there."I nodded and said "So can you tell us what it is?" Alice rolled her eyes and said "I can tell you what it is, I've known since I woke up." I stared in incredulity at her and said "What? Why the hell didn't you say anything?" She pouted and shrugged her shoulder saying "Didn't think it was important." I closed my eyes and said "Doc, can you tell what we are having?" Carlisle grinned and after removing the ultrasound wand from Renesmees' stomach he said "Congratulations Jacob you have a very healthy little boy growing inside Ness." I sat stunned as his words worked their way through my stunned mind. A son, Renesmee and I were having a baby boy, and he was healthy. I don't know for how long I sat staring at the mound of my wife's stomach but it must have been a while because when I looked up there was only Alice left in the room. I jumped a little, startled, because I hadn't heard the others leaving. I stared dazedly around the sick room, my gaze falling back on Alice; she smiled tightly and said "They left about ten minutes ago; they figured that you would come out of your stupor eventually but they wanted to give you some space." I nodded not exactly sure what we were going to talk about. Alice smiled again, this time the smile was a ghostly reminder of her past cheerful smiles before saying "Sleep, I will be here to make sure they are okay. You won't do either of them any good if you're asleep on your feet. The baby won't be doing any major growing tonight so we can both relax a little." I closed my tired eyes and rested my head against the pillow Renesmee slept on, murmuring "Why do you think you are so connected to him Alice?" and even with my eyes shut I could hear the smile in her tired voice "I don't know Jacob, I really have no idea." I relaxed a little more and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning I was woken by a sharp shoving at my shoulder. I jumped backwards in my seat and stared blearily around for the source of the shove but the room was empty except for Renesmee and myself, I dropped my gaze down to the bulge under her top, surprised to see the baby moving under her skin. I watched in awe as the baby stretched as much as he could inside his little cocoon. I listened for sounds within the rest of the house and was kind of stunned to hear nothing and no-one within the walls of the house. It had been quite a while since the house had been anywhere near empty and it was kind of scary. I shifted again on the seat and then stood to work out the kinks in my body. I groaned softly as my body protested the movements, I walked slowly to the window and looked outside. The rain that is so prevalent in Washington State was again misting over the nearby forest. I enjoyed the rain, I had grown up with the constant drizzle and the patter of rain on the roof at night and I missed it when it wasn't there. I moved away from the window and checked all the machinery the Doc had hooked up to Nessie, not that I knew what any of it did but at least it all seemed to be working. A bag of blood hung from the drip and was passing straight into Nessie through her IV. Donated blood had been easier to get since we had arrived home and Carlisle was able to get to the hospital where he worked and it flowed into her system to keep her and the baby healthy. A memory of how disgusted I had been when they had given blood to Bella to feed her made me laugh, now it seemed routine. I walked slowly from the room, taking a long look at Nessie, down the stairs and into the kitchen. I quickly made myself a sandwich and grabbed a soda from the fridge before climbing up the stairs back to Nessie. She lay in exactly the same spot I had left her but this time she wasn't alone. Alice perched on the edge of the bed, running a brush through Renesmees' long copper coloured curls. I stopped in the doorway and took a swig from the can, the fizz of soda burned a path down my throat and I coughed hoarsely. Alice looked up sharply, her body now poised in front of Nessie in a crouch, her lips drawn back over her teeth and a feral snarl ripped from her lips. I stumbled back against the door jam and barked "Whoa! Chill out Alice it's just me!" I watched as she dropped back on the other side of the bed and breathed more easily. "Sorry Jacob, I was distracted and didn't hear you come up the stairs." She had the grace to look ashamed at her reaction to my presence. "Doesn't matter Alice, how are they?" She smiled widely but there was a dark cloud hiding in her eyes "They are doing okay. The baby is struggling with the confined space but he is dealing quite well with it, Nessie is doing better according to the monitors, so hopefully she will wake up soon." She sunk gracefully back into the chair she had vacated to defend Nessie. I grinned tightly and took up my own sentry position, I wondered briefly if the chair was going to maintain a permanent indent of my backside after Nessie woke up. The sound of feet running through the forest had us tensing before we recognised Carlisle's scent, we waited patiently for him to get into the room and when he walked quietly in we relaxed further. He smiled brightly at both of us before saying "Good morning, how are our patients?" he looked from me to Alice and then back to me saying "Jacob have you even slept? You look worse than Renesmee." I laughed sourly saying "Doc I haven't really slept in the last month and I won't sleep properly until she wakes up. Any idea when that might be?" Carlisle rolled his eyes and said "I am tempted to ban you from the room but I know that would be pointless because you would create such a drama about it but you are not helping Nessie any by exhausting yourself sitting here…." As he spoke alarms on the machines started beeping and lights flashed causing him to dash across the room. I stood frozen in place as I watched in horror; Carlisle moved with quick efficiency checking every connection he murmured orders under his breath to Alice whose face was also a mask of terror. I felt my heart stop as the Doc swore and started working feverishly over Renesmees' jerking body. I stood motionless beside her watching as her small frame jerked and twitched for no apparent reason; fear glued my feet to the floor but I opened my mouth asking sharply "What the hell is going on?" The Doc shook his head and ignored my question as he concentrated on Nessie; I looked over at Alice who had fallen to her knees beside the bed. She had her eyes closed and her breathing was accelerated. It was as I watched her breathing hitch again that I figured something wasn't right with the baby and I opened my mouth to tell Carlisle when Alice chocked out "He … is… feeling… upset. Something… is… causing… him… pain." Carlisle shifted his focus from Renesmee to the bulge of her stomach he flicked another switch and turned the ultrasound machine on before running the wand over the bump. As the pictures formed we got a look at what was causing the baby harm, and what we found caused us all to panic. The cord was wrapped around the baby's neck and even from our distant view we could tell it was tightening every time Renesmee moved.

Throwing myself down beside the bed I held Nessie's body down against the mattress, trying to stop her thrashing around and hurting the baby more. Shouting at Alice Carlisle cried "Alice talk to the baby, try and help him understand what is happening. We need him to stop moving." I looked at him incredulously, thinking he had lost his friggin mind but hoping against all hope that it worked. Alice placed her head close to the swollen stomach and spoke through her pain clenched teeth "Hey gorgeous baby, can you hear me?" We all turned to the monitor to see if he reacted, the baby seemed less frantic in his movements but he still struggled against the restrictions placed on him, Alice spoke again "Stop wriggling honey and we will try and help you get free." I watched in amazement as the baby stopped struggling as if he was listening to Alice's voice, a small part of me felt jealous of the connection but thankful at the same time that she could help him. I held Renesmee tighter against the mattress as Carlisle relayed to Alice instructions to get the baby free of the cord, I took a deep breath and held it as we watched him work his way free. Alice had closed her eyes as she spoke to the baby and I was concerned by the sudden fatigue that shadowed her face, I felt a jolt of comprehension as I realised that that was how I looked to everyone else but I couldn't bring myself to leave Renesmees' side to have a decent sleep because I wouldn't forgive myself if I wasn't here and something happened. I knew, deep down, that I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to either of them because I knew that it was because of me that they were in this position in the first place.

It seemed to take forever but eventually the baby worked his way out of the cord and both he and Alice relaxed, all the machines stopped beeping and Renesmees' body lay still once more. This fact was the one that caused me the most pain, I wanted her to wake up and smile at me; I wanted her to open her gorgeous brown eyes and tell me she was okay, I wanted my wife back. As Carlisle moved quietly around the room and Alice lay with her eyes closed, resting her head against the mattress, my thoughts were suddenly filled with the image of a short red-headed girl. Moving from the bed I turned and was only slightly surprised to see Alyssa standing in the doorway "You better have a damn good reason for being here, this is your fault!" I stalked towards her, my pain and anger making my voice sharp and my hands shake, as I got nearer her she looked into my eyes and said "You might want to rethink attacking me Jacob Black because I have been trained by the Volturi, and as willing as I have been to help you and your family, I will fight to kill; which should be the last thing on your mind right about now considering I can see her waking up soon." As she spoke she pointed at Renesmee and I felt my anger draining away "When?" I heard myself whisper; Alyssa cocked her head slightly and said "Very soon, like within the next hour. She looks perfectly fine to me but then again I didn't have a great deal of time with her to know what she normally looks like." I heard myself growl low in the back of my throat at her flippant reply to which I heard her chuckle softly before moving out of the doorway and making way for the rest of my family.

I turned back to Nessie and looked down at her beautiful face; I reached out a finger and traced her features softly, swearing to myself that I would never again put her in this position. I dropped my head to my chest and sobbed quietly, letting the tears flow freely down my face. Not caring that everyone was witnessing my meltdown. From a distance I heard Edward and Bella arguing about something but all my attention was focused on Renesmee; willing her to wake up and smile at me again. Alyssa's voice sounded from outside the door "Any minute now." And I felt my heart accelerate, I shuffled closer and started whispering nonsensical things in an attempt to wake her up, I could hear the other beings within the room muttering encouragement and other various things but the thing I could hear the most clearly was the thumping of Renesmees' heart.

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><p><strong>Poor Alice she doesn't even have kids and they're mucking up her life lol<strong>

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	28. What Happens Next?

**I own the plot :)**

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><p>BOOK<p>

THREE:-

RENESMEE

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

What Happens Next?

Chaotic murmuring was the first thing that I heard as I floated up through the thick fog that was unconsciousness. The most prominent voice was Jake's and I noted that it seemed to crack and break as he spoke, as if he had been crying, I struggled to open my eyes but the lids seemed glued shut. It took an immense effort to force them open so I could see the people I could hear, and when I finally won that battle I wished that I hadn't because everyone was there, even the wolves and Alyssa, they all look worried about me but the reaction I hadn't counted on was Jacob's. I found his head bowed and from where I lay I could see the tears streaking his face; I reached up a hand and gently touched the side of his face saying "Hey Jake what are the tears for?" He jumped as if electrocuted before throwing his upper body across me muttering the entire time "Oh thank God, you're awake, Oh Nessie!" I wriggled an arm free and patted his back murmuring comforting words while looking for some answer to why he was reacting so strongly. My eyes sought and found Daddy who, looking as if he would be crying too if he could, shook his head and said softly "Ness, welcome back." I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out, my throat was parched and felt as though it had been stuffed with cotton; so I swallowed and cleared my throat, trying again to speak. This time I managed sound but there was no volume, not that it mattered when everyone present had super hearing, "Why does everyone look so worried?" As I spoke the events of the last few days flooded my brain and I cringed, my heart pounding and breathing hitching. "Oh my God they're coming for us? Or is it Alice? Is she okay? What is going on here?" I pushed lightly at Jake, trying to get him to move so I could sit up, my attempt was as unsuccessful as a fly trying to push an elephant; it was as I did this that I realised that we weren't in the room in Italy. In actual fact we weren't even in Italy, as my gaze travelled around the room a very queasy feeling shot through me; we were in Carlisle and Esme's house, in the room Carlisle had made into a lab after my trip down the stairs. I felt my panic edge up another notch before a wave of calming peace washed over me; I looked for, and found, Jasper. But this was a different Jasper from the one I remember seeing last. This Jasper is calm and smiling not ferocious and broken, it was as I took in his smiling face that I looked at the person beside him and my heart soared. Because standing next to him looking as good as new, okay not so much as good as new more a well put together one, was Alice.

"Alice!" I felt a sob catching in my throat as I said her name and it wasn't until I saw her standing there, smiling over at me, that I realised how worried I was that I was never going to see that happen again. She danced towards me and bent down to kiss my cheek "Hey Nessie, how do you feel?" I laughed and said "I think I should be the one to ask you that, the last time I saw you it wasn't exactly looking great! And to tell you the honest truth you look like you need a good sleep." She laughed and said "Well that wasn't the best time of my life and I should be forgiven for not looking fabulous." I giggled before swinging my eyes back to Jacob; he was sitting next to me, his eyes red and swollen and his gorgeous face lined with fatigue and stress, gazing at me as if he had never seen me before. "What is going on here? How did we get back from Italy? Why are you all standing around my bed as if you were worried I wouldn't wake up?" I looked from one face to another as they all looked at each other to see who was going to do the explaining; all eyes fell on Jacob, who sucked in a deep breath before clearing his throat and saying "Ness, we were all worried about you because you've been unconscious since you blacked out in Italy. When the Doc had tried everything he knew to bring you round and nothing worked we decided we would wait, it was then that Alyssa came up and said that it would be a while before you regained consciousness and even then she couldn't tell if you'd be okay, so we concentrated on Alice. It took a fortnight for Alice to regain consciousness and when she did it took another week before we could move her.

We figured since we couldn't wait in Italy for the Volturi to regroup and come after us we would fly back home and wait for you to wake up. Carlisle wanted to be here where he had all of his equipment and could run more conclusive tests on you. The flight home was interesting, the airport called the Italian police because they thought we had drugged you and were trying to kidnap you. It took all of Carlisle charm to convince them that he was your doctor and that he was just taking you home, it was kind of funny. Then when we finally made it home the fact that you remained unconscious, even after all the test showed that you were okay, made us extremely uncomfortable." I watched as a cloud crossed over his face and his breathing hitched, he moved away from me slightly enough that I was able to sit up; it was as I tried to do this that I realised something that up until that point I had missed. My startled gaze flew from one person in the room to another but they all had that slightly amused look on their faces, finally my eyes rested on Carlisle. "How… How … When… What." Taking a deep breath I tried to calm my whirring mind and I started again. Dropping my eyes and my hands to the bulge of my stomach under the blanket, I said "Is everything okay? How could I have missed it? What happened to me?" Carlisle looked deliberately at each member of my family, who in turn filed out of the room, before he took up the seat on the other side of the bed to Jacob. I watched as Alice hovered nervously behind Jake and she seemed more concerned with the baby than I was. Carlisle took my wrist and monitored my pulse, his kind eyes never leaving my face. He smiled warmly before he said "Renesmee you and your baby are in perfect condition. We were worried that something was wrong when you slipped into a coma for no reason but once I ruled out all medical reasons for the coma we decided to let it run its course. We monitored you both carefully and unlike with you, we were able to see the baby and watch his growth" A gasp slipped past my lips and I smiled as I ran my hands over the bump that was my baby, I sighed gently "It's a boy? Jake we're having a son!" All three of them laughed, Jake bent his head and kissed my mouth softly before saying "I reacted the same way, after I got over being more concerned about you." He kissed me again, this time it lingered and I felt a kick of hot desire in the pit of my stomach. Carlisle cleared his throat before continuing "So we watched his growth so that we could be prepared for his birth, just in case you were still out to it. Jake has never left your side this entire time and we have had to force him to eat. I was starting to worry about him, planning on telling him to get out and stay out of this room, until Alyssa came down this morning and told us that she saw you waking today sometime." He stood and smiling down at me he asked "Do you feel up to trying to get out of bed?" I nodded my head and threw the blanket that covered me off, swinging my legs over the side of the bed before any of them could react, and I stood swiftly and fell back onto the bed just as quickly.

I huffed in surprise as I hit the mattress, the breath knocked out of me by a swift kick to the ribs. "Ow! What the hell was that?" Both of the men in the room reacted simultaneously but in totally different ways, Jake looked directly at Carlisle and his panicked "Doc!" was counted by Carlsile's "What did you feel?" I heard Alice's hiss of what seemed like pain before she was beside me; I lay still against the mattress for a second before answering and as I opened my mouth to speak another thump against my ribs stole the words. I reached a hand towards Carlisle and replayed what had just happened. His face relaxed and he laughed softly, saying "Ness, that's the baby. You probably upset him by falling back on the bed so hard." Jacob placed a large hand over the bulge of my stomach saying "Do you think she hurt him?" I snorted in an unamused way before saying sarcastically "Oh don't worry I'm fine." I crossed my arms under my breasts, which I hadn't noticed until that point had gotten huge! My companions laughed at my sarcasm before Jake said "Okay, how about we try again, but take it slow this time." I nodded and waited for him to move away enough that he could help me stand but he didn't move straight away. He looked at Alice whose features were drawn before saying "Is it okay? She didn't really hurt him did she?" She shook her head, her short hair fanning slightly around her head "No, she shocked him more than anything. I think if she takes it easy he will stop trying to get more room." I was amazed at the deference Jake and Carlisle were showing Alice in regards to the growing child within me. I opened my mouth and asked quietly "What is going on here? What have I missed? And why are you asking Alice about the baby? She can't see our futures so how can she see the baby's?" The trio looked awkwardly at each other before Carlisle spoke "When you first slipped into a coma, and we determined that Alice was going to be okay, I took some of your blood for Alice. I knew that you wouldn't mind." I nodded and said "Of course I wouldn't, don't, mind but how is that relevant?" Jake chuckled wearily and Carlisle continued "When Alice came to it was her that pointed out the baby's accelerated growth. For some reason, and I am just guessing when I say it is probably because of the blood, Alice is connected to your son. She can feel his emotions and when he is upset. They are connected." I nodded, even though I didn't really understand what he was saying. I looked up into Alice's concerned eyes and said "Is he okay?" she smiled tightly and said "He seems to be, he is running out of room quickly. Just like you did and just like you he is refraining from any big movements just in case he hurts you but he is getting worried about his inability to not hurt you."

My eyes shot to Carlisle and said "Can you get him out of me? I don't want to hurt him and if Alice says he is worrying than I think we should do something about that." Both Jake and Carlisle shook their heads and I knew that they had already discussed and dismissed this possibility. Alice spoke quietly "Nessie, honey, he will let me know when he can't handle being in there any longer but the longer he is in there the better it is for him." I nodded again even though I really didn't understand; I just wanted to do the right thing for the child that was growing inside me but a sudden thought had me cringing. Jake noticed and was instantly on alert "Ness what's the matter? Do you hurt?" I shook my head and quietly cleared my throat before saying "No I don't hurt but I just had a thought about the baby, well not actually directly about it, I mean him; more about me. Am I going to be able to have this baby, I mean in the 'normal' way, you know pain and all." Carlisle frowned and said "Honestly we are not sure but I see no reason for there to be any complications and if there are then we deal with them as they arise. Now enough of this worrying conversation; how would you like to try again to get out of that bed and walk around a bit?" I smiled and gingerly moved to the edge of the bed, swinging my feet over the side and standing upright with more caution than before. I smiled when the baby moved inside of me and said to Jake "This is so surreal. I can't believe our baby is inside of me, growing, it's just weird." Jake laughed softly, nodding his head as he guided my every movement. It was amazing how awkward and odd I felt, my balance seemed shot and I couldn't see my toes! I felt my breathing accelerate and a worried frown steal across my face. Carlisle grinned at the stunned look on my face saying "Your mother had that same look on her face when she stopped being able to see the floor at her feet. How about we take it nice and slow, your centre of gravity has changed so you will have to readjust your body to counteract this. Do you feel hungry?" My stomach chose that exact moment to growl loudly causing us all to laugh. Carlisle unhooked all the machinery and the intravenous drip before they helped me make a slow and ungainly way down the steps.

My progress was hampered by the guiding hands of Jake and Carlisle and watchful gaze of Alice; I felt fine and I wanted to try and walk on my own but I knew that if I voiced these concerns that they would just ignore them anyway, so I chaffed silently against their control. Carlisle frowned slightly and said "Renesmee we are only trying to help, to make sure that you have come out of your illness, for lack of a better word, with no side effects. Please just try and relax." I screwed up my mouth but didn't say anything but the fact that my feelings had been able to seep through my tight control had me concerned. We finally made it down the stairs and onto the lower level of the house; it was as we made it onto the lower landing that a terrifying thought suddenly occurred to me and I voiced it aloud because I wanted to break the silence as we walked slowly towards the front room "What are we going to do if, no, when the Volturi decide to come after us? We can't ask for a repeat performance from our friends like before because this time we kind of did ask for it, if that makes sense." Jake raised one bushy eyebrow and laughingly said "We asked to be kidnapped and taken half-way around the world, drugged and beaten? Next time I make a wish it'll be for world peace." I elbowed him in the side and said "Very funny Jacob! You know what I mean. The last time we had to face off against the Volturi our friends had a vested interest in the outcome. Most of them don't understand, or trust, the wolf members of our family and I honestly don't think they will stand behind us the way they did before." Carlisle nodded his head and said "I understand your concern Renesmee but I think you should concentrate on getting better and looking after yourself, we have Alice and now Alyssa to help us pin point when and what the Volturi's next move is." I nodded and swallowed the rest of my concern, I didn't want to rely solely on Alice and Alyssa but I trusted my family to know what was best for all of us.

The days after I woke up from my coma were spent reacquainting myself with my body and the changes my pregnancy had wrought in it. I was forbidden, by Jacob and he was surprisingly backed by my parents, to move back to our little home because Jacob didn't want me alone for more than a couple of minutes at a time; and even more surprising was Alice and her reactions. If for one second the baby got uncomfortable she would be huffing at me and trying to make me lie down or something equally boring. So when my chance to escape their probing eyes and over-powering protectiveness came I took it with both hands. Making sure I kept my mind blank of my betraying thoughts I started my day just like everyday since I had woken up, by being brought breakfast in bed. Okay I know it's a luxurious problem but when you are as active as I was, am, would like to be again; it gets a little constricting. Breakfast was delivered by Daddy and as I dutifully began to eat my oatmeal and toast (Blah! I wanted to go hunt!) He sat down beside me and smiling gently said "This forced inactivity and our over protectiveness is really getting on your nerves isn't it?" I screwed my mouth into a grimace and nodded my head before saying "I get that you guys are just looking out for us, I know that, but I need to be able to go about my day like before! I am sick of this damn room and being treated like some invalid. I am pregnant not terminal!" After my outburst I was breathing hard but I felt better than I had in a long time and I smiled sheepishly at Daddy, I knew that he had asked the question to give me the chance to express my unhappiness at being cooped up, saying "Thanks for that, I needed to vent." He grinned at me rolling his eyes and saying "Please if it was me I would want to escape so badly it wouldn't be funny, but Nessie we are doing this for your own good. We don't want the Volturi coming and finding you vulnerable and alone. I know how much it is annoying you but try not to do anything that will put you in danger." I knew then that my thoughts, although obviously unclear to him, were clear enough to show him that I was planning on escaping this room. I smiled, forced because my control over my power seemed to be slipping, and nodded my head "Okay Daddy I won't do anything to put myself in danger. I promise." He laughed softly before leaning over me and kissing my forehead.

I waited until he had left the room before pushing the tray he had brought me away and gently getting to my feet. I listened carefully to the sounds within the house, trying to discover my best escape routes, and was surprised to discover that only Esme was now left at home. I moved quickly to the edge of my bed and slid my feet into the shoes Jacob had left beside my bed for our 'walks', I crept as silently as my expanding body would allow me to towards the door and made a silent trip down the stairs. I made it to the kitchen on the lower level of the house and out the back door without being seen or heard. As I stole across the backyard I kept my senses peeled for any sign of my family or enemies I really wanted some time to myself where I could be me and not an invalid. I breathed in my freedom along with the scent of the surrounding woods, the tang of the forest and the sweet smell of freedom were the most intoxicating things I had smelt in a while and walking at a human pace had never been so liberating, so I stretched my limbs as I walked through the forest I enjoyed the slower pace. I let my feet carry me through the thickening forest to Jake's and my special place and when I pushed my way through the last bit of brush into the clearing beside the small pond I felt my entire body relax as I enjoyed my aloneness. I walked three quarters around the small pond to a reasonably large flat rock that jutted out over the water, climbing in an ungainly manner onto the rock I settled my bulk down on it and sat back on my elbows. Feeling the sun caressing my face I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, enjoying the warming rays against my sun deprived skin. I pulled up my maternity top and exposed my rounded stomach to the warmth of the sun, the baby moved in small stretching movements enjoying the sun as well. The sounds of the forest and animals within it seemed to be welcoming me back within its folds and they seemed as happy as I was that I was there.

I'm not sure how long I sat there, but I know it wasn't long enough, before a different sound made its way to my ears; the sound of running feet and annoyed breathing. The woodsy scent of skin encased in a light sheen of sweat reached my over-sensitive nose and rolling my eyes I waited for Jake to break through into the clearing. More than a twinge of annoyance swept through me as I waited for him, I hadn't gotten enough space or peace and quiet to satisfy me and I didn't want to have to go back inside just yet. I knew he was going to be pissed at me for taking off and I didn't want him to be angry with me but I wanted him to understand that I was capable of looking after myself. Shifting into a sitting position with my legs folded comfortably beneath me I trained my eyes on the spot in the wall of green I knew he would break into the clearing through and as he strode into view I had a gut feeling that I had pushed to far too quickly for this to be alright anytime soon. Jake was furious and his ferocity made my heart beat quicker inside my chest, he was magnificent and I felt a tug of desire in the pit of my stomach as he marched towards me. I opened my mouth to speak but his hissed words cut me off "Just what the hell do you think you are doing? How could you just sneak off without anyone to protect you? Everyone was worried about you!" I opened my mouth to answer but his tirade continued and my mouth remained open "How could you place yourself and our unborn son in such obvious danger? What if someone had been waiting for you? How would you have protected yourself, or the baby, from a direct attack?" I blinked, surprised at the attack, Jake had never spoken this way to me before and I never expected to be spoken to like this from him. I felt tears well in my eyes and I sniffed as I held them back, the sound stopping Jacob mid-rant; he walked up the rock I was sitting on and folded himself down next to me, drawing me closer to his warm body. I blinked again and felt a tear slid over my cheek followed in quick succession by more hot salty water flowing from me. I buried my head into Jacob's bare chest, wrapping my arms around his back, and sobbed noisily against his skin; he wrapped his arms around me and rubbed soothing circles across my back. His voice reverberated under my cheek and whispered "I'm sorry I yelled Ness, I was so terrified that you were missing." I gulped in a breath but the tears wouldn't stop so I touched his back, showing him what I needed and why I had left the house, I showed him that I hadn't meant to worry them and that I was sorry for stressing them out but I also needed 'me' time. Jake held me to him tightly as I fought to regain control of my emotions and when I had gotten the tears under control anger started to burn deeply within me; pushing away from him I sat away from him and said "I am sick to death of being treated like a fragile little flower! I am an adult and let me tell you something, if you think for one second you can bully me into doing something I don't want to do then think again. I didn't set out to cause you all to worry but I am not just an incubator! I am a person and I need sunlight and I need some alone time." I frowned as I felt myself starting to tear up again; I sucked in deep breaths as I tried to control my roller coasting emotions, haltingly I continued "I…am…a… big…girl…and…I… can…look… after…myself. You…don't…trust…me." I dropped my head into my hands and cried more, I felt Jacob moving to wrap his arm around my shoulder, he spoke softly saying "I do trust you baby, I was just worried about you and the baby. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you, or the baby for that matter. You are not just an incubator, you are my wife and I love you totally." I sniffed in quite a un-lady like way before grudgingly nodding my head saying "Now that you've found me can we stay here for a while please?" Jake nodded slowly and reclined against the rock and I lay back in between the v of his thighs, lifting my shirt and exposing my stomach again to the rays of sunlight.

I laughed softly as the baby rolled gently, trying to get more sun. Jake placed his large hands over my swelling bump and whispered "Okay little man you need to take it easy in there, we don't need Momma in any more discomfort. I'm glad that you like the sun though, when you are a little bigger we can go fishing; I'll teach you to ride a motor bike and your Momma can teach you to hunt, she is better at it than I am, she's let me win more times than I can count." I giggled and said "I thought you hadn't realised that I had done that." he looked lovingly down at me and said "At first when you were younger I allowed you to win, it was the only way we could get you to hunt and not complain but that only lasted a short time before you started to really enjoy the hunt and then I found that I had to actually try to beat you." I laughed, a deep belly laugh, which caused the baby to jump and roll as if annoyed. My laugh cut short and I shifted to try and get more comfortable so that the baby had more room. Jake rubbed the taut skin stretching over my abdomen and whispered softly "Come on kiddo relax." I closed my eyes and lent back against his chest, I sighed deeply and tried to breath through the discomfort that the baby was causing me. I grimaced again as the baby moved again saying to Jacob "I don't know how much bigger I can stand this little man getting, I know he is struggling in there and I am worried about him." Jake sighed deeply and said "I know, but Carlisle says he is okay so I guess we need to take it one day at a time." I felt him shift under me and I moved to give him more room. He leapt to his feet and held his large hands out to me "Can we go back to the house now? I think we should go and talk to Carlisle, maybe get him to check the baby's growth and see were we going from there." I huffed out an annoyed breath before placing my hands and letting him pull me to my feet. I winced as a sharp twinge cramped my lower stomach; I let go of his hands and dropped my head to hide my features so that Jake couldn't see but as it was lately I had seemingly no control over my power but not quick enough. Jake lifted my face and said "Ness what was that?" I shrugged my shoulders before saying "Don't know Jake, I get so many aches and pains lately that I can't tell one from the other." I bit the inside of my cheek as the lie burned in the back of my throat, I decided to distract him "So how are the preparations for the Volturi coming?" I listened with half my mind as we walked quietly through the forest and I tried to dismiss the darts of pain that banded my lower back and abdomen. I knew that my obvious distance was confusing Jake but I didn't trust my control enough to risk contact.

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><p><strong>Gotta love pregnancy hormones lol.<strong>

**Please Review**

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	29. Oh, No Not Now!

**I own the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE<p>

Oh No! Not Now.

As we neared the house we noticed a commotion and Jake broke away from me and moved in front of me to shield me from whatever had gotten my family so worked up. I stuck my head around him and watched Momma come walking towards us with a frown marring her perfect forehead. Jake raised a thick eyebrow and asked "What's the matter Bels?" Momma pursed her lips and said "Alyssa had a vision, the Volturi are coming and they are coming to destroy us." I gasped as another pain gripped me but thankfully they both took it as a gasp of surprise over the Volturi's attack. Opening my mouth I asked "Momma where is Carlisle?" Momma jerked her head towards the house and I moved past both her and Jake, heading in the direction she had indicated moving slowly to try and dull the ache that kept sweeping through my lower back and the cramping that was pulling at my stomach. I made it almost to the front porch when I was stopped by Jasper and Emmett who were practising their fighting skills on the front lawn. I smiled through clenched teeth when Jazz stepped in front of me and placed a restraining hand on my shoulder, I frowned up into his golden eyes, shrugging off his hold, and asked "What's up?" Jazz cocked his head to the side and whispered "I'm not exactly sure; I am getting definitely mixed signals from you. I can feel your panic, and anxiety, along with fear and anger but there is one emotion I'm having trouble identifying." I raised an eyebrow but was saved from answering by a chuckling Emmett "Hey Jazz I bet that everyone is feeling at least one of those things, leave the poor kid alone. She looks wiped out." I smiled weakly, relieved that Emmett wasn't as attuned to emotions as Jasper was and even more relieved when Alice's voice called from the shade of a tree across the wide expanse of the front door. I gestured weakly towards her and said "Gotta go otherwise Alice will have my head." Both of my Uncles laughed openly before returning their concentration to their war games.

My gait slowed as another pain gripped my lower abdomen but I continued across the lengthening grass to Alice. As I reached her she gestured beside her to a chair I hadn't seen. "Sit. Something isn't right. He is having increasingly more time where he is feeling wrong and I think you need to take a little time off your feet." I cringed at the low lying chair and said "Alice, the Volturi are on their way here and you want me to _relax_ and _sit_ around waiting? There is no way I can do that. I need someone to teach me how to protect myself against a direct attack. If it was just me I wouldn't have a problem but it's me and the baby and I don't really know how to protect us." The annoyed voice of my father sounded from within the trees saying "There isn't anything to teach you, you will be heading to Forks to stay with the pack. We don't want you anywhere near the fight. Don't argue Renesmee, if it was just you than, even though I wouldn't want you there, I would have to get over it because you are an adult but I will not stand by and allow you to risk, not only your own health but that of my grandson, when you don't need to." I started shaking my head and stuttering my denials when Alyssa spoke from behind me "There isn't going to be any time to get her out of here. I see them arriving within the hour and I mean every one of the guard who weren't destroyed. They are all coming; and your wolves, they're coming too, will arrive in about ten minutes. I suggest we surround Renesmee with as much muscle as we can considering how much we're gonna need. If we put her and Haylee along with Esme and Alice in the basement we can guarantee that there is only one way in and that if they try to get in they will be faced with two vampires and at least one of them will be able to see them coming."

I shuddered at the thought of leaving my family and going to hide but I knew that if I was to remain on the front line than I would put them in more danger than if I was in the basement safely hidden. I dragged in a deep cleansing breath through my nose and tried to ignore the grip of unease that had tightened its hold on my stomach. I heard Seth approach our little group and I turned towards him and smiled welcomingly at Haylee, who stood looking like a scared little rabbit beside him. It was as I registered her fear that I realised how odd our family actually was, most people fled from danger but not us, nope we prepared to face it head on. I shifted on the spot, trying to rearrange my cumbersome weight, listening attentively to the plans everyone was making for the coming battle. The plan was to come at them strongly before they had the chance to get used to their surroundings, this was our home after all and that gave us the upper hand; we knew the land and we knew how to use it to our best advantage. I moved again, getting increasingly more uncomfortable, and had to dodge the questing hand that Momma had thrown out. Unfortunately, as with most pregnant people they don't move as quickly, Momma's hand grazed my bare shoulder. I heard her gasp as she realised that I wasn't merely uncomfortable, I was in labour and it wasn't really the best time. I touched a hand to her and asked her to relax and not say anything because I didn't want to worry anyone, especially if it turned out it was false labour. She nodded but I could see the frown creasing her forehead. She wasn't happy but then again neither was I.

We stood planning for ten minutes (well everyone else stood I was forced, thankfully, into the lawn chair by Alice) when we all noticed the sound of an approaching vehicle so we weren't really surprised when a large green VW bus drove along the private road to our house and I relaxed a little more as Alyssa's premonition proved true, our family had arrived to help. Sam was driving, something that I found odd because he rarely left Emily or the kids behind, and beside him in the passenger seat sat Brady. I couldn't see the rest of the passengers so I was shocked when the door slid noisily along the side of the van and Emily filed out along with a half dozen giant men. I sat gaping at Emily as she hurried across the yard, I struggled out of my seat and welcomed her as she threw her arms around me and hugged me close. I returned the hug awkwardly due to the fact that both our bellies met before the rest of our bodies. I had all but given up on trying to hide anything through my gift so I wasn't surprised when she pulled away and sighed wearily but before she could speak I heard a hissed expletive from Jacob as he returned from wherever he had gone with my mother "What the hell were you thinking Sam?" he growled. Sam shrugged his shoulders and said "I tried, you're quite welcome to try and persuade her if you like but I have to warn you she will win." I heard Emily grit her teeth as she huffed "I am a grown woman Jacob Black and you'd do well to remember that. I am here because I know what it is like to have to sit and wait for your husband to return from a battle. I also know Renesmee and I know that there is no way she will willingly stay cooped up wherever it is you have decided to stash her." I giggled as Jacob retreated behind Sam before saying gruffly "Fine, you can stay in the basement with Nessie, Haylee, Alice and Esme. You aren't allowed out, for any reason, do you understand that?" Emily smiled sweetly before nodding her head, I grinned through gritted teeth as another pain hit and Haylee nodded mutely with a stunned look on her beautiful face. I grabbed her hand and squeezed gently to try and reassure her that it was all going to be okay but it was a bad move because she felt my pain and I quickly shook my head at her and widened my eyes trying to warn her against saying anything

Alyssa prowled closer and closer to our circle, her agitation and anxiety written clearly on her marble features, she hunched her shoulders and snapped "Okay everybody knows where they have to be can we please get them into the basement. I think you guys will find that everything you're going to need is in there and I can tell you that I don't see them coming into the house but that doesn't mean that you should relax." Emily frowned deeply at the tiny red head barking orders at us before snapping off a quick salute and grunting "Yes Ma'am!" in a military fashion, making me laugh in spite of the consistent cramping that plagued my stomach. Alyssa snarled in the back of her throat but both Sam and Jacob stepped in front of us, protecting us from the violent creature before us. Esme appeared out of nowhere and wrapped her fingers around my upper arm, tugging gently; I knew what she wanted but I couldn't force my feet to follow her. I wanted to stay with Jacob, I needed to stay and protect him and the rest of my family. I knew Jake felt the same way and that was the only reason I had even contemplated the idea of hiding and leaving my family two warriors down. He crossed to me and kissed my mouth tenderly "Know this Renesmee Black, there is nothing in Heaven nor Hell that can keep me from returning to you; you are the sun, moon, stars, my entire universe. Keep our son safe and I will see you shortly, go now and keep Emily from busting down the basement door and coming to help." I chuckled as Emily swung an open hand towards Jacob's head, which he ducked with ease, and I said "I couldn't exist in a world that doesn't have you in it, I love you." I sniffed as I walked backwards towards the house I watched him raise his hand and heard him say "Love you too, Nessie." I turned blindly towards the house and was grateful for the guiding hands of Alice and Esme. I could hear Emily and Haylee saying their goodbyes and stopped moving both Alice and Esme regarded me curiously. I swallowed over the lump in my throat and said "What about Carlisle and Jazz; what about your goodbyes?" Both women looked relieved that I wasn't about to protest my forced exclusion but their relief didn't quite mask their pain at goodbyes cut short. Alice spoke lowly as she pushed a gently guiding hand against my back "We already said our goodbyes, although I do see that they will be pointless, so you don't need to worry about that and I think we'll have enough to worry about." I stopped again, turning back towards the group gathered under the trees I said "I want you all to be careful, don't try and be heroes. All heroes ever get is pain. I want you all whole and if that means you need to fight dirty than do it, if it means you need to run, than do that too." A cacophony of noise greeted my statement but it was Momma who danced forward to kiss me and hug me close "I know how you're feeling but there isn't any problem. You remain hidden and there won't be any need for heroics because Jacob will only need to focus on dismembering vampires not on protecting his head strong wife. We love you honey now go and get in the basement I have a feeling that the hour Alyssa gave us is fast coming to an end." She kissed me again before dancing back to Daddy's side. I sniffed emotionally before releasing a shaky breath, and nodding, then turning on my heel I walked into the house without looking back. It was the hardest thing I had ever done and my entire being protested with every step.

We hurried through the strangely deserted house and through the large walk in pantry where we found the door to the basement open and waiting for us. Esme stopped beside the door of the pantry; Alice danced down the stairs into the basement before calling up to me that everything was clear. I shooed Haylee through the door and down the wide concrete steps before gesturing for Emily to follow her, I glanced longingly back at the door before sighing resignedly and trailing after the others leaving Esme to follow. I reached the middle step as Esme closed the large heavy steel door, effectively locking us in, the sound overly loud in the silent room. I dropped my head and focused, through tear filled eyes, on making it down the rest of the stairs. As I reached the bottom of the stairs I finally got a look at our "prison". I knew that we hadn't gotten a whole lot of heads up in the fact that the Volturi were coming and I knew that my family worked fast but even this surprised me. The basement wasn't a basement any longer; it was now a reasonably big apartment equipped with three cots, a flat screen TV mounted on one wall along with a DVD player and a selection of DVD's, one corner had been converted to a bathroom while the other had been converted to a small kitchen. I shook my head and muttered "Why doesn't this surprise me" before crossing the room to take a seat on one of the cots. Emily and Haylee had stopped pretty much where they had entered and both of them stood staring around at the set up, Emily whistled through her teeth "Wow, I am constantly surprised at you lot. Even with a limited warning you are able to organise something so comfortable." Alice chuckled dryly saying "Alyssa asked if she could convert the basement about a week ago, Carlisle told her she could. I guess he thought she meant it to be a room for herself and then when I saw them coming she suggested this room as a perfect place to protect you all from the attack." I rolled my eyes and said to Emily "Try not to think on it too much, I've lived with a psychic my entire life and even now it can give me a headache."

I stood up and moved towards the small fully stocked kitchen when another pain struck, I doubled over with the force of it. I heard everyone surround me and their panic fuelled my own. This pain was different to the others, more fierce and it lasted longer, as it ended and I straightened I felt a warm gush down my legs, I looked down and was stunned to see a pool of blood streaked water around my feet. The mild panic I had been feeling was now full scale and I cried out. Pain gripped me as Alice lay me on the soft mattress of the cot in the corner of the basement, I curled in on myself and gasped in ragged breaths, moaning as my whole body bowed with pain; I opened my eyes and looked for Alice "Is he alright Alice?" I asked, she grimaced before dragging in a breath and saying "As far as I can tell but he seems really uncomfortable. He keeps wanting to turn around maybe we should check to see if everything is okay before you get too far." I nodded, unable to speak because I had my teeth clenched as another bout of pain overtook my body. I gripped the sides of the cot begging "No matter what, I want you to promise me that you will do your best to save this baby. If it comes down to it, save him, not me. Promise me, please." Emily sat down beside me, her light brown eyes flooded with pain and understanding but she shook her head; resting her smooth forehead against my sweaty one she whispered "Please don't ask me to do that Nessie, I couldn't; Jacob would never forgive me." I pushed against her and looked past her into Esme's worried gaze I said "Esme, promise me. I know you'll do this for me." I held my breath as another pain hit and held me in its talons and as it released me I heard Alice suck in a low breath, lifting my head from the pillow I asked "What? What is the matter with him?" Alice gritting her teeth said "Nothing is wrong with him, he is just breech." I moaned as another pain seized me in its grip, I pulled my legs up towards my chest, trying to breath through the pain and prevent myself from crying out. "Can't you do something?" Haylee cried out sobbing as another contraction hit and I closed my eyes trying to focus on my breathing. A quickly whispered conversation between Alice and Esme had me glancing towards them in time to see Esme frown and shrug her shoulders, I shuddered as a chill of understanding ran up my spine, Momma had died giving birth to me and they were worried that history might repeat itself, and I wasn't sure that they were wrong.

The time past in a distorted fashion, minutes felt like hours and hours felt like days, and in between painful contractions I lay unspeaking and unable to verbally communicate and I had never wished more for someone else to share Daddy's gift to hear my thoughts to let everyone know what I needed. I felt like my whole body was one sore muscle and I was finding it difficult to concentrate on the directions Emily was giving me and when her voice hitched with excitement and she said "Okay Renesmee I need you to push now." I shook my head and looked over at Esme who said "She is exhausted, isn't there something you can do?" Emily shook her head and said "No, there is nothing to be done now except to deliver him and unfortunately only Nessie can do that, I can only do a small amount." I sobbed as another contraction hit and I suddenly felt a huge urge to push, so I did which earned me praise from Emily and a kiss on my sweaty forehead from Alice who then wiped my head with a cool cloth. I grunted with effort and pushed with as much strength as I had left. I felt Emily's hands against my skin guiding my baby's backside out into the world. "Okay Nessie I need you to breath through the next one okay, no pushing just breath." I swore and said "Are you kidding me? I would like to see you breath through a pain like this. What the hell would you know?" and before I could continue my tirade another pain gripped me and I was lost in it, breathing deeply through the pain and forcing myself not to push was the hardest things I had ever done and as the pain receded I sunk back against the pillows and waited for her next words and when they came I was relieved to hear her say "Not long now Ness." I sobbed "I'm sorry Emily I know you've been through this I just want it to stop." As another contraction assailed me I heard her say "Honey I do know how you feel and I know that this feels like the worst pain imaginable but think about that sweet little baby you get at the end of it."

As the pain subsided, a thought suddenly occurred to me and panting from exhaustion I asked "Alice how is it going out there?" A hiss of disbelief swept through the room and everybody started talking all at once, the sound hurting my tired brain and I snapped "One person tell me, I can't handle your babbling." A stiff chuckle sounded from Alice as she said "We have other things that you need to concentrate on like bringing this little man into the world safely." I cringed as another agonising pain radiated through my body and said "Yeah sure that's easy for you to say, he isn't tearing your insides up." I tried to squeeze my eyes shut to block out the pain but the look on Alice's face had my eyes filling and I reached my hand up to her face and thought _"I don't mean that, I'm just so tired."_ She nodded and another contraction gripped me making Emily smile as she said "I think one more push might do it. Okay Nessie I need you to push with all your might." I snarled deeply in the back of my throat "What do you think I've been doing? Having a frigging tea party?" but I pushed with everything I had left in me. Just as I reached the last of my energy I felt a great rushing release as the baby was helped from inside me. I pushed myself wearily onto my elbows and looked down at the tiny life that was being cradled within Emily's shaking hands. I shuddered with a deep rendering emotion and felt tears of love and adoration flow down my face. I scooted back against the head of the bed and reached trembling hands between my thighs and lifted my newborn son onto my chest.

Wonder and amazement flooded me as I stared down into the wrinkled face of my baby, I lifted brimming eyes to Alice and smiled tiredly "Look what I did." She laughed and said "You were amazing." I smiled tiredly around at the women in the room, I moved myself into a more comfortable position before saying "Alice did you want to hold him?" Alice who had moved away to get me a cup of water walked slowly back and perched softly next to me before saying "Are you sure? Jacob hasn't even held him yet and neither have Edward and Bella." I grinned happily up at her and wasn't really surprised when a blanket was handed to me and after wrapping the baby tightly inside it I handed him to Alice. We watched as she received him and held him close to her face and we were all totally stunned when he reached out a hand and touched her face lovingly, she raised her eyes to me and whispered "Your son is amazing and I will make sure that nothing ever hurts him." She kissed his soft cheek before passing him to Esme. I laughed softly which drew all eyes in my direction and I smiled saying "Of course he is fabulous, just look at him, and with a family as wonderful as ours was there any doubt that he was going to be?" The women I had just shared the most amazing, and the most painful, moments of my entire life with all laughed before surrounding the sleeping baby; they all cooed over his perfect little face and his gorgeous little fingers and toes, remarking on the shine to his already darkening skin. I tried to subtly cover a yawn but failed miserably, Haylee offered to help me clean up while Emily and Esme took turns holding the baby and Alice disposed of the bloody sheets. I was grateful for the assistance because my strength had all but deserted me and I found that my legs shook violently as I crossed the floor to the small bathroom. As I stood beneath the warm spray of the shower Haylee asked softly "Hey, Ness, was he worth it?" I stuck my head around the shower curtain and asked "The baby?" Haylee nodded and I noticed that she looked slightly green around the edges. I shrugged and decided that honesty was the best thing since she had just witnessed my son's birth. "Definitely, the pain is horrid but the result is more than worth it, why?" She blinked at me, stunning me with her honesty, before saying "Seth and I, we, you know, had sex and now I'm scared that I might end up pregnant and I don't want to have a baby now. I mean for goodness sakes we don't even know if they're gonna survive! I can't raise a baby on my own!" her hysteria was clear for me to see and I flicked the faucets off and wrapped a towel around my aching body. I crossed to where she sat on the toilet and said "Haylee, look at me please. I am telling you now that Seth is going to be fine, we are all going to be fine, and if you find out that you are pregnant than that will be a cause for celebration not regret; and if for some unknown reason something does happen and you are left to raise that child there is no way we; and that goes for Esme, Alice, Emily and the entire Quileute tribe, would let you do it on your own. We are family and family stick together." Haylee smiled wetly as she stood up behind me and started running a brush through my hair "Thanks for that Nessie, I just panicked. I know you'd be there for me, I just hate sitting in here knowing that Seth is out there fighting vicious killer vampires. I forget, sometimes, that there are any other types of vampire other than your family and I'm afraid that it will be detrimental to the fight." Before I could answer her there was a soft knock at the door and Emily came through the portal "Um we have a small situation out here, it seems like we have a little man who is getting hungry and his is about to let his displeasure be know in no uncertain terms. So how about you come and see to him and maybe I will be able to help Haylee with her crisis in faith considering I know exactly where she is coming from." I nodded before hugging Haylee tight and walked from the room, closing the door softly behind me. I looked for, and found, the baby being held by Esme in one of the few chairs that graced the room. My eyes sought Alice who lay, as though asleep, on one of the other cots. I moved closer to Esme and stared down at the tiny little man that was my son, I reached out a loving hand to cup the dark curls that circled his head; I fell more in love with him as I watched his gorgeous little eyes open and stare straight at me.

He blinked curiously up at me as if trying to remember where he knew me from and I heard myself laugh as he furrowed his brow and switched his glance between Esme and me trying to decide if he really wanted me or if he was comfortable with Esme. Obviously his hunger won out, just like Jake, and as his eyes locked on me again he opened his full lips and squawked his displeasure at being kept waiting. Everyone in the room laughed gently as I gathered my newborn son into my arms and begun to feed him, I gasped as his mouth found my breast. I hadn't expected to feel what I was feeling and I hadn't known that the experience would feel so rewarding. I sunk into the chair beside Esme, staring at the perfection that was my son. His skin had lost some of the fierce redness of birth and now was a luminous russet colour and I was excited to see if he would shimmer in the sunlight like I did or if his skin would throw rainbows like the rest of my family, or if he had inherited Jacob's skin. He lay in the protective circle of my arms, staring up at me with a cloudy gaze his eyes a dark black colour.

A deep grinding sound vibrated through the room causing Emily, Haylee and I to jump in fear. My heart shuddered and quickened its beats as I tried to hear what had caused the sound. I gathered the baby closer to my chest and crouched in a protective stance near the far wall of the room, I knew that no matter what happened that Alice and Esme would protect Haylee and Emily but it was up to me to protect my baby. It was this sound of destruction that reminded me of the battle raging outside the little cocoon of pain and happiness I had been immersed within. I closed my eyes and, whispering soothing words to my son, prayed with every fibre of my being that everyone I loved would make it through the battle that was raging outside.

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><p><strong>I'd hate to deliver in that situation.<strong>

**But upside a healthy little boy**

**please review**

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	30. Strategies And Retaliations

**I own the plot, this chapter is from Jaspers' point of view. :)**

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><p>Book<p>

Four:-

Jasper

CHAPTER THIRTY

Strategies and Retaliations

I watched as Alice, my gorgeous, sweet, almost omnipotent Alice, walked an emotionally screaming Renesmee towards the house where they would be hiding when the Volturi came for us, again. I shuddered as another wave of pain and fear swept outwards from Nessie, I didn't understand the pain, she wasn't injured and there weren't any obvious signs of outward pain so it had to be internal. I still found it hard to figure out some of her human emotions though her vampiric ones were easier to understand. I have been a vampire for a very long time but considering the centuries of gluttony I was still struggling with the lure of human blood; Billy Black once told me that it was like a recovering alcoholic who worked in a distillery and I have to agree with him. There have been a few times in my time '_on the wagon'_ where I '_fell off' _and an innocent person paid for it. Bella had almost been one of these people but thankfully my family were there to stop me from doing something that we would all have regretted, forever. My gift, for want of a better term, to sense and control a persons emotions was sharper when it came to my family and the people I knew better; strangers emotions were readable but sometimes the emotions take a while interpret.

"Jazz, are you ready?" the booming voice of Emmett had me focusing on the approaching danger. The Volturi, once again, were threatening our way of life. But unlike the last time we would be facing off for a fight that can't be prevented. I closed my eyes and tested the emotional state of those around me; it was times like these that I dreaded my gift, the climate was fraught with hundreds of different emotions and each one was glimmering around every individual like a beacon and sometimes knowing someone's emotions made fighting with them easy and other times it made it hard. For example as I watched Edward face off against the giant russet wolf I knew to be Jacob I could see that both of their emotions were pure and selfless, this fight was to protect their family from the hurt the Volturi could inflict, Alyssa on the other hand was a different story. Her 'aura' for want of a better word was muted, like she had thrown a blanket over a lamp and the colours were dull and blurry but I could see that she wanted freedom from her oppressors but she also wanted revenge and revenge made me uneasy.

I focused quickly as Em charged at me silently, I felt a quick smile tug at the corner of my mouth, we had been doing this for a very long time and not once had Em ever won. I had centuries of war and fighting experience where as Emmett was pure at heart and his attacks were more animalistic than crafty, which is why I always won. There were two members of my family that I had never won against and they were Edward, because of his ability to read minds so he knew what you were going to do as you thought it making it impossible to surprise him, and the other was Bella. Not that, if given the opportunity, I couldn't defeat Bella, it was simply because we had never had cause to see if I could defeat her. I always felt weird about facing off against Esme or Rose or Alice because being a southern gentleman I was raised to believe that men protected the woman folk and they treated them with respect, this made trying to teach them to fight as an army not as a hunter awkward because I wanted to protect them not send them to the front line. I knew that if I voiced this that I would face being ripped to shreds, for being a chauvinist, because the women in my family were strong and fearless and they wanted to protect our lives as much as the male members of our family.

Now I watched in almost slow motion as Emmett made his attack, and it was the enjoyment of the fight, screaming from his every pore; that had me shaking my head before leaping into the air and landing heavily against his back. I wrapped both arms around his neck and squeezed with enough pressure to stop him, but without enough to actually harm him, he growled and flipped me off his back to stand in front of me "Again" he snarled but a quiet voice spoken from the edges of our game had both of us staring in mute confusion. Bella stood with her head cocked to one side, a small frown marring the smooth skin of her forehead "Jazz can I have a quick lesson please." Edward was suddenly beside me his angry voice hissing in my ear "Absolutely not, how could you even consider letting her try to attack you." I shrugged, my theory was that everyone that was going to fight should have at least minimal fighting skills, yes Bella had fought once against the Volturi but I knew that Edward had watched her ferociously throughout that entire fight, waiting for the moment that she might have become overwhelmed. "She has every right to ask me to teach her some tactics. She wants to be able to help." I didn't shrink back from the snarl that rippled from Edwards' chest, I had faced too many angry vampires for it to really bother me any more, I hated the fact that the sound was coming from my brother but he knew I was right because he simply snapped "If you hurt her I will have to kill you." I nodded, already concentrating on the lesson ahead. I could see Bella's hesitation and I could feel her fear at facing me. The _'Renesmee'_ non-battle against the Volturi had given Bella, a new born at the time, a chance to hone her fighting skills with various members of the vampiric community but she had never faced a more consummate fighter than me.

Edward's scoff at my thoughts had me mentally daring him to name another person we knew who had more fighting skill and experience than I did, he didn't say anything because he knew every fight I had been in, every battle I had won and he knew the costs of those fights because he had 'seen' them through my mind as I re-told the story to Bella before the new-born army and Victoria had attacked us. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to relieve some of the mysterious tension that resided there, before gesturing for Bella to come at me. The world slowed down as I watched her drop into an attacking crouch and spring toward me, her face a mask of concentration and her growl low and intense. I shifted my weight and the second she reached for me I gripped her arms tightly, swung her body towards the earth slamming it down. I knelt upon her chest and with little or no resistance on her part I placed my lips against her throat. She sucked in a surprised breath before shifting her weight and shoving me off her "Again, please" she snarled. I rolled my eyes and prepared myself for her attack, I stopped suddenly as Alyssa's feelings of anticipation ratcheted up several notches. I knew without Edward's fierce scowl and whispered "Bella we have no time, they are coming" that we had run out of time to teach her how to be a useful warrior.

Suddenly war was upon us and I had to organise my troops to face the Volturi, even if they were seriously depleted, and to do that and not attract attention then we needed to end it quickly and quietly. I sent Edward a quick look and nodded as his face and emotions registered my thought, he knew that even without Aro, Renata, Demetri and Felix we were seriously out numbered and, in some of our members' cases, seriously out-skilled. I was relieved that with Bella on our side Jane was at least contained but she would be out for more blood than the others we had killed her twin as well as the only other person she idolised, Aro. I held out a hand to a frozen Bella, noting as I did that her 'flavour' had turned to fear but it was tinged liberally with a fierce protectiveness that almost drowned the fear out. She smiled grimly as she put her much smaller hand in mine and I pulled her to her feet; she moved, and I think she did it without realising that she did, to stand beside Edward. Emmett, Carlisle, Rosalie and Edward all had vast fighting experience so I wasn't overly concerned with them being able to protect themselves, I was worried about Bella and her lack of practical warfare and Alyssa's unknown fighting skills had me even more on-edge than I normally am when it came to a fight. A distant feeling of panic had me searching for the cause, I failed miserably to discover it so I shot a mental question to Edward who just shook his head; I took it to mean that he knew the source of the panic but he didn't want to panic the rest of our troupe.

We stood in a loose arc as we waited for the Volturi; wolves and vampires, old enemies united through an unlikely source. I smiled and shook my head before turning my concentration entirely on the approaching army. They weren't far off because we could all smell them and I could 'taste' their anger, fear, desperation, and need for revenge tainting the air. I moved and took point and wasn't surprised to see Emmett and Edward stand either side of me; our second flank was Bella, Rose and Carlisle who were hemmed in by the imposing figures of the wolves. I wished for Alice to be behind me, I missed her like another part of me when she wasn't there but I feared for her when she was and since her recovery she had been different and I was sort of relieved that she wasn't going to be taking part in the fight. I was worried about her quietness and her seemingly lost smile. Her mouth told me often that she was okay and perfectly back to normal but her 'aura' told me otherwise. She was constantly on edge and scared of things that she wouldn't, or couldn't, tell me about and even Edward was frustrated over her selective mental-muteness. I shook my head and focused on the coming army, risking a quick glance at Alyssa I asked "Who is coming?" I knew I wouldn't have to elaborate because every person in the vicinity knew the real question behind it. She cocked her head and her eyes lost focus, as she did this her fierce hold on her emotions slipped and I could see her uncertainty and her regret and I hoped the regret was for bailing on the Volturi and not for leading us into a slaughter, her eyes slid shut before quickly opening. She huffed out an angry breath and said "All of those left behind in Voltera, I can see a massive fight but not the end of it; I'm worried." I darted a glance around our not-so-merry band of warriors and saw them shift uncomfortably in their stances.

Before I could speak Edward growled low and said "I can hear their thoughts. Caius is leading the charge and he is out for blood, literally. Marcus is, as usual, seemingly bored; Jane is furious and her fury is spreading because she keeps inflicting pain on random members of the Volturi and they are getting mighty sick of it. The others are what they call 'second string' the vampires called upon to witness but rarely to fight. It won't be like our last encounter; Caius is openly opting for destruction rather than talking and with Jane to help him they have convinced the others that a fight is the only way." The wave of concern and disbelief that radiated off Edward illustrated a fact about my brother that I had long guessed, deep down he was a pacifist and, like Carlisle, he would prefer to talk through a problem instead of fighting someone for what you believe in; I, on the other hand, believed that if you wanted something badly enough than you would destroy whoever stood between you and the thing you desired. Shifting my thoughts back to battle I watched the dense forest edge, waiting for the encroaching army and praying that Alice would be safe within the basement confines.

A wail of pain had me spinning my head towards the beings behind me. Seth lay jerking uncontrollably on the ground; several voices started calling out at once before I growled at Bella "It's Jane, shield us." Edward swore violently saying "Don't yell at her, she wasn't prepared for Jane's attack. I didn't even get a heads up over who she was going to attack." Bella closed her eyes momentarily before her shimmering bubble-like shield spread over us and Seth immediately got to his feet, he snarled and stalked forward as if he was going to hunt Jane down. Bella sucked in a deep breath as her shield stretched and fitted itself snugly around all of us. I was still surprised at the shield; I had never seen a shield like Bella's and the fact that it cast a silvery light over everyone inside it made fighting within it, for me, harder than normal. I forced myself to concentrate harder on the approaching massacre; I wished, and not for the first time, that Alice was fighting beside me but I was again grateful that she was safe. Well as safe as any of us could be. Edward shifted closer to Bella and faced slightly towards the right of the house and moved forward to stand beside me. I could hear them making their way through the unfamiliar territory but they weren't trying to sneak up on us, they were coming and they didn't care who heard them. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rose blanch as the sound echoed through the clearing. I knew that her heart wasn't in this fight and that there was something on her mind that had her pulling away from the rest of the family. Emmett of course was smiling with anticipation and the members of the pack were standing around us, their fur raised and their mouths drawn back over their razor sharp teeth. I was almost fearful of the shape-shifters because they were the only creatures (besides vampires) that could destroy us with little or no effort, but I was also thankful that they were on our side.

As we focused on the woods across from where we were gathered I could see the halo of rage and despair that indicated that the Volturi had reached the edge of the clearing. Caius was in the lead, and unlike the other face-offs we had had against the Volturi, the Volturi warriors were in disarray. There was no clear defensive or offensive pattern; they were just grouped in a semi-circle and approaching with speed. Jane stood beside Caius and her face was contorted in a mask of pain and fury at our organisation. Her small voice rung out across the space separating us "Are you prepared to die?" and the loss of her sibling and her maker/leader Aro had made the tiny girl, who had always enjoyed the pain she inflicted, psychotic and this really didn't bode well for us. Mentally I thanked Bella's shield which negated Jane's attack on our minds but I had seen the way she had fought on our trip to Italy and I knew someone with fighting skill when I saw it, and Jane had obviously had plenty of experience. I had asked Edward when we had returned if he knew how old Jane was, he had smiled softly and said "Jane and Alec joined the Volturi almost a decade after Carlisle left but I know that they had been carving a bloody path through Europe for almost two centuries before that." Now as the conversation replayed itself within my brain I flinched as I realised that the amassed years of fighting experience of the Volturi outweighed our fighting experience by three hundred to one, not that it mattered because we had sanity on our side and with our collective gifts we had more than a fighting chance.

Carlisle stepped to the front of our group and spoke in his most reassuring and calming voice "We have no wish to fight you, we will to protect our family and our lives but we have no desire to inflict more loss on the vampiric community." Caius snarled, exposing his teeth in a menacing manner, snapping "Save your talking. Aro may have listened but I will not. You are all dangerous and I am sick and tired of having to protect you. Aro was interested in your abilities but even his fascination with your oddities wasn't enough for him to overlook your bazaar life choices. I on the other hand have no desire to save you for any reason, you destroyed my brother and killed more of our kind than can be permitted; no-one else has stepped forward this time to witness our destruction of you and I am telling you now that nothing is going to save you from receiving your punishment."

I reached out a hand and touched Carlisle's shoulder; I squeezed imperceptibly and tugged gently. I focused my thoughts and feelings inward and dragged up the feeling of fury that our army would require to survive. I wasn't really surprised to see the spark that lit the eyes of our side and again I was thankful that apart from keeping their mental attacks out, Bella's shield kept my mental attack isolated (I could still see their emotions but it wasn't as harsh), which only made my gift potent to those within the shield. I enjoyed, in a minimal way, seeing the effect my feelings had on our group because my fury at the way we were being hunted had dulled their fear and anger, covering them in one feeling and enabling me to concentrate on the up-coming fight. Edward turned his head towards the house and actually stepped out of our unconscious line before he remembered what was happening around him. I gawked at him incredulously until I felt the spark of fear that didn't come from the encroaching fight. I sent out my antenna to taste the emotional climate coming from the house, it was as I did this that I discovered why Nessie had been feeling pain I couldn't identify. She was in labour and it was creating tension and fear within the group hidden with her. I could also feel the unease and discomfort that Alice was feeling and it made me falter in the emotional control of our group. I shot a quick shake of my head at Edward who gritted his teeth and returned his focus to Jane and Caius.

Jane was snarling and snapping her teeth, her head jerking from side to side, her insanity had taken hold and there was blood lust emanating from her every pore. I had seen this a few times in my life with Maria, it usually meant that there had been a mental defect in the person that hadn't been detected when or before the human was turned. But in some cases it was caused by a large emotional loss and Jane hadn't only lost her twin brother (reason enough to become murderous) she had lost her creator and the only other person she may have remotely loved and I did feel some sorrow for her (and from what I could feel from the others within our group, some of them did too) but I mainly felt her fury and her determination to eradicate all of us. Caius spared a glance for the demented vampire to his right before looking to his left and raising one eyebrow in question to Marcus who in turn blinked morosely down at his fingertips before waving a white hand towards a warrior behind him, and before any of us could even think about moving the vampire had pounced on Jane and decapitated her. A shocked murmur ran through the vampires gathered behind the Volturi but they didn't break rank (as unorganised as they were) and as quickly as he had moved to take Jane's head off the unknown vampire slid back to his spot and re-focused his attention on us. Caius smiled softly and said "Now we will give you the chance to surrender and we will kill you mercifully" Edward snorted as what Caius thought was merciful reached his thoughts but Caius continued "your other option is to fight and lose." Emmett barked out an amused laugh and flexed his fingers, cracking the knuckles in an alarming way. He growled deeply in the back of his throat and it seemed that that had been the sign that the Volturi had been waiting for. Caius dropped into a defensive crouch and Marcus actually lost his bored look for the first time, the rest of their warriors fell in behind Caius and mimicked his stance. Caius jerked his head and the Volturi came racing towards us, as a well trained group (which we so weren't) we fell into the fray with as much skill as a barely trained army led by some of questionable skill could.

I felt Bella drop her shield as a swarthy vampire jumped her, I twirled as I felt the oncoming attack of a vampire who had been turned when she was barely a teenager. She reminded me briefly of a young girl, whose name had been Bree, we had offered asylum to her when Victoria (a vicious killer who had been trying to avenge her mates death at our hands; he had hunted Bella down and tried to kill her) had created an army of newborns to take us out. The Volturi had arrived, deliberately late, to help and with no compunction Jane had ordered the death of the pleading child. I flinched as she flew toward me and on instinct I grabbed her head, swinging her body over my head and smashing her to the ground, I jerked her arms behind her head and with my foot on her back I ripped them free of her body. I felt her emotional surge as she realised she was about to die, she wanted to live and she hadn't even wanted to be there. I pitied Edward in that moment because even though I could see, sense, taste their emotions Edward could see their thoughts as he dismembered them and set them on fire (the only true way to kill a vampire) but my thoughts were quickly brought back to the battle when I saw one of the wolves surrounded by vampires I stepped in and we dealt swiftly with the threat together. I recognised the wolf as Cameron the one we bought back from Italy with us he nodded his great silver head and sped away to help in the fight.

I heard a sharp cry from behind me and I swivelled on the balls of my feet and found Rosalie fighting from flat on her back as a giant man with body art covering every portion of his visible skin tried to smash her skull in with his bare hands. I called to Jacob, who was closer, to get his attention and pointed to Rose. I watched enough to know that Jacob had gone to Rose's aide and they disposed of the vampire between the two of them. I dragged a quick look over the battlefield as I ran through my family and the enemy and wasn't at all surprised to see Marcus heading toward the house; the house where Alice and the others were hidden. I barely even registered my movements as I flew across the space between the fight and the quiet house; I launched myself at his back and trying to secure my arms around his neck. If I had've thought that this fight was going to go easy that thought was quickly dispelled as I found myself sort of floating above Marcus, out of arms reach. I shuddered in the air for a second before I came smashing down to earth with a bone jarring crash. I lay there stunned for a fraction of a second before I launched myself to my feet and faced off against Marcus again. His habitual bored look had receded and the thrill of the hunt had lit a fire within his lifeless eyes. He lifted the corner of his mouth in what I could on interpret as a smile before saying softly. "That is a gift I rarely have had to use. It is the reason Aro wanted me in the first place. He used my passion for his sister to anchor me to him and then when he sensed her feelings for me had changed and she was thinking of leaving to start a life with me, he killed her and ended my immortal life in the process. I have not mourned my brother as I should but I will not stand an attack on my home without retaliation." I could see the flavour of his pain and anger over Aro's treatment of him and his wife and I allowed him to carry on his monologue, distracting him enough that he wasn't readily aware of Carlisle creeping up on him.

Carlisle had lived with the Volturi and had gotten to understand how their minds worked but he had never been able to explain Marcus's apathy towards the 'family' he remained with. I could see the pain and disbelief warring with one another in Carlisle's aura and it was this that had me shaking my head almost imperceptibly, I didn't want Carlisle hurt because his mind wasn't on the kill. Carlisle nodded and dropped back to help Bella dispose of a vampire with a shaved head. There were thick clouds of purple, sweet-smelling smoke rising towards the cloudless blue sky, and it was as I flashed a look towards the sky that I realised that we were in the sunshine, all of us, glimmering and shooting rainbows from our skin. I moved towards Marcus and placed my body between him and the door of the house "I am sorry, but over my dead body will you be getting inside this house." And even after all my time as a vampire my southern accent was as strong as ever, especially when I am fighting. Marcus cursed in a language I didn't understand and threw himself at me, it was as he did this that I realised that his shield was down and that to attack me he was making himself vulnerable to attack, I shoved him hard and watched as he flew through the air and landed in a human shaped divot. He growled as I leapt after him and swung his legs upward as I fell on him and I swung away at the last second to avoid the kick he had aimed at me. We both got to our feet and attacked again but it was as I aimed a punch at his head that I realised that his colours had changed, he was emanating relief not fear or anger. This made me pause in mid-swing; I was rewarded for my hesitation with a swift kick to the solar plexus. I shot a thought at Edward hoping that he could sort it out through the din of the fighting crowd. I had distracted Marcus from entering the house but I knew suddenly that the whole goal of this fight was to get Renesmee and kill her baby. Caius would stop at nothing to make sure that there was no-one left to avenge us if they won the fight.

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><p><strong>I always wanted a chapter from Jaspers' POV. He has all this experience and talent. It seemed a waste to not write it.<strong>

**Please review**

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	31. Last Minute Decisions

**Still from Jaspers' POV**

**I own nothing but the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE<p>

Last minute Decisions

Another kick from Marcus and I felt my ribs crack, I huffed in pain but grabbed his foot as he kicked out again and swung him with all my might back into the trees and away from the house. He landed with enough force to fell three trees and skid a fair way into the remaining trees. A noise from behind me had me swivelling on the balls of my feet into a defensive crouch, snarling with fury. It took me barely an eighth of a second to figure out that it was Alyssa coming up behind me; she was sprinting away from the fight with Caius on her heels. He was practically foaming at the mouth in his desperation to get her, Alyssa had a fearful look in her eye and as they passed by the house she sent out a particularly strong wave of protective energy. I was surprised that she was feeling protective of the houses occupants and not worrying about the psychotic vampire on her heels, besides the feeling of protectiveness she had a healthy dose of resignation tinting her emotions. I darted back towards the fray and threw myself into the stew of anger, fear, pain, fury, acceptance, ignorance and protectiveness that made up a battle scenario. I hated my gift more often than I enjoyed it but I was also resigned to the fact that it was helpful in a fighting situation because it gave me an advantage of knowing who needed my help in a fight and who could take care of themselves.

I shot another glance at the sky as I felt the weather cool and was surprised to see that the sky was darkening and that the sun, a sun that had been blazing in the sky all day, was sinking away to the west. I blocked out as much as I could of the emotions of the enemy and focused on the emotions of my family because I needed to know that they were okay. I could sense all of their emotions and I felt relief flood through me because it meant that they were all alive. I raced through the battle field only to be stopped by a sooty Caius who marched toward me purpose pouring from his every cell. He smiled evilly and said "Let us see how you go protecting your family now that you are down a psychic. I enjoyed killing her, Aro so wanted her but I knew she was nothing but a mediocre vampire at best." I paused in my retreat only to check my senses for Alice and feeling her anxiety at being locked away, I sighed, he wasn't talking about her but that meant that he had destroyed Alyssa and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. As these thoughts were cycling through my head Caius continued to speak. "She may have saved the others from my attack on their pathetic hideaway, she may have bought them a few minutes but in the end I will win and nothing will stop me." I could feel his demented rage and frustration that even with a bigger army they were having no better luck at destroying us than before but his other emotions were buried so deeply within his mind that I couldn't even detect them. He circled closer to me and I watched as he made the decision to take me out. He charged at me and it was as he neared that I noticed that he had a type of lighter in his hand. He flicked it as he held out his hands to grab me and a spark ignited my sleeve. We fell to the ground, rolling over and over in the grass that the day before Alice and I had lay in counting the stars. I felt panic as my sleeve caught fire but I banged my arm against the floor extinguishing the flames before they could cause damage to anything more than my shirt. Caius rolled up onto his feet and prepared to attack again. I wanted to try and calm him but he wasn't receptive, his demented brain was screaming. He flew at me and I braced myself as he leapt, we collided with a large crash and the momentum of it sent us flying back towards the fight. I used our movement to swing Caius over my head hoping that another member of my family would be there to help because I was suddenly sure that in his crazy state I would have trouble defeating Caius. Darting a quick look around I found Bella running at full speed towards us, her lips pulled back over her teeth in a silent snarl. I moved to my left, allowing for her in the fight, Caius spotted her at the last second but her approach was the distraction I needed. I leapt onto his back and wrapping my hands around his thrashing head I pulled with all my power, a crunching sound met my ears as Caius's head was separated from his shoulders. Bella jammed her foot into his shoulders and pulled free one of his arms while I tore off the other before using his own incendiary device to set him alight. All around us the battling vampires realised what had happened and stood in shock, half of them not knowing what to do now that the driving force behind their attack lay dismembered in a flaming pile.

My family watched in amazement as the remaining Volturi fell to their knees and surrendered to us. Marcus walked towards the pier that was his 'brothers' body and when he drew beside me I was shocked to see that his emotions weren't even remotely angry, they were delighted. He fell to his knees and dropped his head within his hands; his shoulders shook with what I assumed were silent sobs which contradicted the emotions I could feel coming from him. I wasn't the only one who was surprised when he raised his face and he was smiling, he sought out Carlisle with his eyes. He moved to his feet and walked to stand in front of Carlisle. "We were foolish to come here but I find it prudent to let you know that this fight, as badly as it has ended for us, has proven that a coven as large and as powerful as yours shouldn't be allowed." Carlisle bit out a sharp reply "We weren't the ones that started this. You abducted members of our family and moved them half-way around the globe. You tortured them and when your plans failed you decided to adapt your idiotic plan and decide to kill us and when that didn't happen you figured that one last assault against us would be the thing to do." Marcus raised one eyebrow and murmured "I think it would be best if we leave now but this isn't over. Your family is dangerous and sooner or later everyone else will come to that conclusion as well." I shifted closer to the make-shift leader of the Volturi and checked his emotions thinking that his joy and excitement seemed so out of place with the situation we found ourselves in, Carlisle said "We are agreeable to you leaving and the only reasons we would allow you to leave without a further fight are one, we don't wish to fight you, the vampiric community need to be held in check and the Volturi provide that; and two, we aren't the same as you. We don't kill for revenge or out of anger; we have only ever wanted to protect our way of life. I suggest you promote the wives of Caius and Aro to their positions. I am glad that you have seen the error behind your attack and we suggest that you gather the injured and leave." Marcus bowed deeply before sending a silent look at his remaining fighters and then turning on his heel and walking away from the battlefield without a backward glance.

We stood watching as the Volturi army gathered their injured and without a sound left us in the midst of a bizarrely ended fight. I heard the wolves change back and walk towards us. Jake was the first to speak and his question wasn't aimed at anyone in particular "Hey do you really think that this is the end of it?" Carlisle, who was still in shock over Marcus's odd surrender, just shrugged his shoulders and held a hand up in a questioning way towards Edward who said "His mind is definitely set on leaving us alone. He was thinking that it served Aro and Caius right that we destroyed them. He doesn't agree with our lifestyle, in fact he doesn't understand it, yes he wanted to attack us but his reasoning behind it was to protect our strangeness from spreading and infecting the rest of the vampiric community. So, yes Jake I think that it is finally over." Bella sighed deeply and said "Is everyone okay?" which made me focus my sight on the ragged band of fighters before me. Emmett stood open-mouthed in disgust at the fight being aborted so quickly, Rose stood examining the singed ends of her long blonde hair, thoroughly annoyed that her hair was damaged, Carlisle stood with his arms beside his side with a confused look I had never seen before on his face. Bella and Edward were embracing each other and the wolves all stood awkwardly watching the confused vampires. I spoke softly into the smoky atmosphere "We all seem okay, well except for Alyssa. Caius killed her as she tried to stop him getting in the house." I watched as Jake's head jerked up and towards the house as if he had just remembered Nessie was locked within its confines. He ran towards the house without another word, ignoring Edward's voice calling him back. Edward huffed and said "Fine I won't tell you before hand that your wife gave birth during the fight then." Bella screeched in delight and detangling herself from Edward, she raced after Jacob. I laughed, the sound overly loud in the post-war quiet, and followed them at a faster pace. I was eager to get to Alice and hold her, I wanted to know that she was okay, and reassure her that everything would be okay. I knew that everyone was following me and that they were still too stunned for their emotions to have fully kicked in, I knew from experience that the next couple of days were going to be emotionally charged and that I was in for a draining week or so.

As we climbed the porch steps we could see the smoking pile of ashes that had to have been Alyssa. The door to the house hung off its hinges and there was a large chunk missing from the door frame, I wasn't the only one who hesitated at the sight of how close Caius had gotten to his goal. Carlisle shuddered visibly next to me he turned his head and whispered "Damn it! That was too close. Thank goodness that Alyssa was there." It was the first time in the entire time I had known Carlisle that I had heard him curse and I could see the fear that still lingered on the edges of his emotions. I put my arm around his shoulder, offering the only comfort I knew, and we walked further into the house. I wondered what had happened that had prevented Caius from going into the house and searching for our hidden family but I knew that if any answer was to be had that Edward would have it. We followed the others through the downstairs of the house and I felt the emotions of the people who had gone before us and I was relieved that they were all happy and joyous. There was a bright flavour to the feelings and I could feel the tense muscles in my body relax as I neared the love of my life and the loving atmosphere of the basement. I moved ahead of Carlisle but I was stopped in my tracks as Alice moved through the doorway. I closed my eyes and breathed in her delicate scent of roses and cinnamon I dragged her into my arms and kissed her mouth gently. I ran a strong hand across her back, I felt my body shiver in the post-war relief; I wasn't surprised when Alice said "I saw what Alyssa did. I tried to get Edward to her but it was too late. I was really occupied down here." but I was surprised at the defensive tone that coloured her words. I nodded and said "Honey I know that you would have done absolutely everything in your power to help." She stiffened within my arms but she nodded her head to acknowledge my words. Hand in hand we walked back into the basement of our house, now the basement isn't a small room but with eight vampires, ten werewolves, two humans, a Halfling and a new born child made for a very crowded room.

Like every other set of eyes, mine were drawn to the sleeping child cradled within Jacobs' largely muscled arms. I reached out with my extra senses and was surprised that the child's emotions were cloudy and unknowable. I hadn't come across that in my entire time as a vampire, or as a human, and to be honest with myself I hadn't really had that much contact with a baby. Renesmee hadn't been a typical baby but even when she had been tiny her feelings and emotions had been clear. I unconsciously moved closer to the child trying to figure out what his emotions were. Edward shot me a frown but just raised one of his eyebrows before turning his eyes back to his grandson. Carlisle moved to crouch beside Renesmee and started asking questions that, if I had been human, would have made me blush. Alice, Emily and Haylee answered some of the questions that Nessie wasn't able to and Carlisle shooed as all out of the room so he could check mother and son over.

I followed the exodus out of the room and we all seemed to gravitate towards the kitchen where we all found somewhere to either lean or sit. Alice frowned back towards the basement before turning to us, the survivors of the war, and demanding "What the hell happened? I was too busy to keep a close eye on the action." I shrugged and said "We're not really sure Alice. One moment the fight was raging and then when Caius was killed they gave up and left. Can you tell us what happened with Alyssa?" Alice's frown deepened and she said "We were neck deep in un-charted water with Renesmee going into labour. Thankfully Emily and Esme were there because I was taken over by the panic the baby was feeling. We had just figured out that he was breech when we heard a massive crash upstairs, I 'looked' to see what the problem was and was surprised to see Alyssa and Caius in the house. I heard them arguing above us so I didn't look any further than to see who had come into the house. Alyssa was snarling at Caius who just seemed amused at her efforts to keep him out. She kept crashing into him, trying to kick him back out of the house and away from the baby. She must have realised she was losing because she said "I know that the people you have brought with you are going to give in as soon as you turn your back. You will have to surrender and give your throne over to these strange yellow eyed vampires who will try and corrupt the vampiric community." Caius had punched out at her and he had laughed saying "Nothing will stop me from destroying that abomination and her offspring." But he didn't seem at all confident especially when Alyssa laughed and said "Then why do I see Marcus talking to the Cullens and not fighting them?" Caius must have stopped fighting her because there was silence and then I heard him scream "It doesn't matter what you see, you betrayed us" and after that all I heard was the crackling of the fire." Alice looked down and folded her small hands, over and over again, within her lap and then she said "It must have mattered because he went racing out of here and didn't even come near us." I was thankful to the sacrifice that Alyssa had given but I was relieved to know that she hadn't turned back to the Volturi. I hugged Alice closer to my side and felt her tiredness, her excitement, her relief and her love, flowing off her in waves. I kissed her head and turned to Edward and thought of taking her out of the room to rest, he just nodded and said "I'll tell everyone later." I smiled tiredly and shepherded Alice from the room.

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><p><strong>Please review<strong>

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	32. Being Scared Doesn't Help

**Back to Renesmee's POV**

**I own nothing but the plot:)**

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><p>Book<p>

Five

Renesmee

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Being Scared Doesn't Help.

I was so exhausted but in another way I had never felt this exhilarated. As I watched the people who made up my family crowd out of the room on Carlisle's request I was relieved that they were all in tact and they had made it through the battle without loss. It was at this thought that I remembered Alyssa and her sacrifice, and I sobered more. I leant back against the pillows that had been piled up behind me and watched as Carlisle checked my son over after his early and traumatic entrance into this world. "He is fine, a little on the small side but I don't think that will last." Jake's laughter rumbled deep within his chest and I shook my head tiredly "He does have his daddy's appetite." It was all I could come up with. Carlisle handed the wriggling child to Jake and I watched lovingly as Jake cradled our son for the first time. He sniffed back his tears as he un-wrapped the bundle that held his son, while Carlisle turned his attention to me and my wellbeing after the delivery. I winced as he touched my sore skin but he was satisfied that the birth had done no ill harm to either of us. His smile was bright and cheerful as he spoke to both Jake and I "I will go and let everyone know that you are both okay and then we can organise visitors." I nodded, trying to hide the yawn that threatened to escape. We watched him go and we heard him call out softly to the others inside the house.

Mom and Daddy were the first people to re-enter the room, quickly followed by Alice who seemed to relax the second she laid eyes on my sleeping son. Momma and Daddy came and stood beside me leaning closer and kissing my cheek he turned a steely glare on Jacob before asking Carlisle "How are they?" Carlisle smiled widely and said "Renesmee is doing fine, she is tired and could do with some rest but she has come through this fantastically, I will perform the tests later on the little one" with a sheepish smile on his face. I handed the baby to Jake and moved to stand up, I made it as far as the edge of the bed before Daddy and Momma's strong hands were holding me still. Baring my teeth I snarled "Just what kind of _tests_ do you have in mind for my 4 hour old son?" Carlisle backed away and said "Nothing invasive, we did the same tests to you to determine what DNA make-up you had. I promise that no harm will come to your baby." Jake cradled our son against his broad chest and said "Nessie I remember when the Doc did these tests on you and trust me they didn't hurt you." I reclined back against the pillows resting on the bed and I held out my arms for my sleeping son and it was at that point that I realised that Daddy was staring at him strangely.

"Why are you staring at him like that?" I growled not really surprised when I felt Jake's restraining hand on my shoulder and I shook my head at him and said "Why aren't you worried about the fact that everyone seems to want to poke and prod our son?" A flicker of something like fear crossed Jake's face and I wanted to comfort him but I wanted to protect my baby more than I wanted to reassure Jacob. Once again I focused my glaring attention on my father and asked again "Why are you staring at him like that?" and thankfully, for him since I seemed to be in sudden possession of an increasingly shortening temper, he answered softly "I am trying to read his mind and I am finding it curiously blank, just like your mothers. That is all sweet girl I promise you, I am just as curious as everyone else to find out if this little man has inherited any traits from either of our families." I grunted and hitched the blanket further around the baby, effectively hiding him from their eyes, and hissed "I don't want anyone touching my son, get out." My family stood staring at me and I felt the tenuous hold on my temper snap and I opened my mouth and screamed at them "Get Out! I don't want any of you near my son is that clear? Well is it?" and when they all nodded and filed from the room I turned on my side and face a stunned Jacob, I smiled gently at him and said "Oh my goodness we haven't figured out a name for this little man. We should do that so we don't keep calling him baby." Jake smiled tightly and said "Sure honey we can figure out a name for him." before moving from the chair beside the bed to stand above us and as he held out his hands I felt an irrational urge to snap them off, I knew Jacob wouldn't hurt our son but as his mother I was in charge of protecting him from everyone so taking a steadying breath I handed my son over to his father while pushing the urge to snatch him back deep down inside.

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><p><strong>Post baby hormones mixed with liberal fear, a very potent combination.<strong>

**Please Review**

**Cherie**

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	33. As Strange As It May Seem

**I own only the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE<p>

As Strange As It May Seem This Is Our World.

I watched Jake cradle our sleeping son and waited impatiently for him to suggest some names for our son and when he seemed lost in checking the perfect little body of our child I let my brain drift and try to think of some names that suited the amazing creature that Jake and I had created and I laughed when Jake said "Hey why don't we call him Jett?" Chuckling I moved from the bed and walked slowly around the basement space, saying "Don't you like our son Jacob? We can't call him Jett Black that is just cruel." Jake howled with laughter and said "Well while you're in the walking around I will try to think of some more suitable names." I smiled back at him over my shoulder and said "Do that. I will too. I'll be back in a second." I needed the bathroom and I also needed a drink of water, his soft crooning voice was the sound I closed the door to and as I did what I needed to do I thought over my strange reactions to everyone when it came to our baby. I hated the fact that I was worried about him when it came to my family and I knew deep down that I had nothing to worry about because they had, on more than one occasion, changed their lives for me and had even risked their lives to protect me but a deep gnawing feeling of unease had me not trusting the people I loved the most. As I ran through the names of the men in my life and as much as I loved my family I decided that I would probably not name my son after them. I preferred him to have a name that was his own but Jacob might have thought to all him something that was significant to his family. I shrugged and ran a brush through my thick curls, worried slightly about the amount that fell out, dragging it up into a loose knot at the base of my nape. I pulled the door to the basement open and was shocked to find it empty, a feeling of gut-deep fear paralysed me for a split second after which a fury the likes I had never known galvanized me into motion. I raced through the room and up the steps where I paused momentarily to check for any danger before racing down the hallway and out into the yard where my entire extended family stood, all of them cooing over my son and even though I felt relief that he was safe the fury I had been feeling still coursed through my blood like a drug. I leapt from the front porch and flew towards them, my fear blinding me to the fact that I was putting myself in danger for attacking eight vampires, fully grown werewolves, and two humans. I landed in the middle of their circle and before any of them could react I had snatched the baby from Haylee and had him clutched against my breast as I crouched in a protective way, practically daring them to attack me. Their silence was magnified by the harshness of my breathing and the rapid beating of my heart along with a soft snuffling from the child within my arms. I glanced away from them and watched as my son opened his eyes, stared into mine, blinked and then opened his gorgeous little mouth and howled in displeasure. I froze in shock almost dropping the baby, as I stared in astonishment at the noise coming from my son. I shifted my position and brought his small body closer to mine and automatically started rocking him to quiet him down, the sound surprised everyone within the circle surrounding me and I suddenly had hands reaching to comfort my baby and it was at that moment that the fierce feeling of protectiveness receded and I admitted to myself that it wasn't my family I felt I really needed to protect him from but it was the Volturi, and the unknown, that scared me.

Looking around at the stunned faces of my family and friends I felt shame and remorse sweep through me, I handed the baby blindly back to Haylee and pushed my way through the tightened circle. I knew I should apologize for my behaviour but I was still confused and ashamed over it and as I walked away I heard Daddy say quietly "She is okay Jacob, she has just realised that it isn't us she is worried about protecting him from and she is ashamed about the way she just reacted but she doesn't understand that she is reacting the way a mother reacts, you protect with your life before you think about the danger." I snorted silently as I walked, zombie like, into the house and through to the kitchen. I opened the fridge door and started rummaging through it and with little appetite found something to eat. I had sat down at the table when my solace was interrupted by Jake and the shame I had felt before made tears well in my eyes. I shook my head and whispered "I'm sorry Jake I have no idea what came over me, I was scared that even you would hurt him, and now I see that maybe I'm the one he needs protecting from." Jake sighed deeply and crossed the room, wrapping his arms around me, and said "Honey he doesn't need protecting from you; we might, but he doesn't, you were doing what comes naturally but you need to realise that the feelings you are having we are all having. We will do anything to prevent him from being hurt." I smiled wetly as he kissed the top of my head and nodded before noisily blowing my nose on the tissue he handed me. "I know that you guys aren't going to hurt him but I can't help the way I am feeling." Sighing deeply to try and control my emotions I changed the subject "We still need a name for him, we can't keep calling him baby or him forever because I think that might cause him to get beaten up." Jake laughed loudly and said "He won't ever get beaten up; I think we won't have to worry about his ability to protect himself. As to names have you thought of any?"

The crazy list of names I had been thinking about paraded through my head and I rolled my eyes saying "Honestly? I have been trying to work your name, Daddy's name, Billy, Charlie and Carlisle's names into a workable name; you know like Momma did for me but all I have come up with is gibberish and then I thought about calling him Ephraim but I don't want to really saddle our son with a name like that. I wanted to at least give him William as a middle name in honour of your father and I was thinking that maybe instead of giving him a name he would share maybe we should give him a name of his own." Jake pulled one of the dining chairs out and folded his large frame into it before saying "Okay I agree with you on naming him something that is solely his but do you have any ideas about what that name would be?" and for a split second I felt stupid about the names I had picked and hesitated in telling them to Jake just in case he didn't like them or even laughed at them but I forced myself to get past the fear and said softly "I like Juriel or Jonah but if you think they're stupid or you don't like them than we can think of something else."

Several tense seconds passed as I waited for Jake to think about the names I had thought of for our son and when he sucked in a deep breath I braced myself for his disapproval but what I got stunned me. A perfect grin split his swarthy face and he leant across the small space separating us and kissed me on the mouth, I was so shocked that I sat there not moving; he sat back and tested the names I had suggested. "Juriel William Black, hmm I like the sound of that, now what was the other one, Jonah? Hmm Jonah William Black, I think I like Juriel better. Stop staring Ness and close your mouth, you'll catch flies." My mouth snapped shut but popped open again when he grabbed my hand and said "I think we should ask Alice to be his God-Mother, she is even more protective of him than you are. You should have seen how much it took Jasper to restrain her when Juriel started crying before; I thought she was going to rip his arms off. I have never seen Alice behave like that especially towards Jasper. Emmett, of course, thought it was amusing; but everyone else, except maybe Haylee and Emily who you scared the living daylights out of, understood where you were coming from."

I could feel a small smile breaking through the tension I was feeling and as Jacob raised a quizzical eyebrow I said "You called him Juriel and I really like the sound of it and I was also thinking that we could go tell the rest of the crowd that are waiting on the front yard what we have decided to call him and to ask Alice if she would consider being his God-Mother." Pushing the chair back I grabbed his hand and tugged Jake to his feet and hand in hand we walked back through the house and out onto the front lawn to face my curious family. As we reached the front of the house I was struck with paralysing worry about what my family were going to say about my brain snap. I gripped Jacobs' hand tighter as he pushed the front door open and we walked out into the gloomy autumn air. The first thing I noticed was that they all tensed as if waiting for me to over react, even Emmett seemed to be more still and focused than usual; the second thing was that Hayley moved behind Seth and watched me warily from her protected position and thirdly that my son was sleeping soundly within Momma's arms and with a deep breath I hadn't realised I had been holding I relaxed, knowing that I hadn't caused him any undue stress. I crossed the yard to where Momma stood nursing Juriel under a large densely foliaged tree; I leant in close and kissed her smooth cool cheek before dropping a swift kiss to the forehead of my son who stirred before returning to his untroubled dreams. I swallowed deeply before turning to my watching family and speaking, my voice coming softly and a little hoarsely "I owe you all a really big apology. I overreacted and I will never forgive myself for scaring any of you or stressing anyone out." Momma chuckled softly whispering "I know how you felt honey, I don't know if you remember the first day I held you but it was just after my first cuddle that I found out that you had imprinted on Jacob. I attacked him but poor Seth, being the loyal person he is" Jake's deep voice came from behind me, interrupting Momma "No, being the idiot he is." An indignant chocking sound came from a little further away "Hey I was doing my duty as a member of your pack, brother, what kind of brother would I have been to just sit there and watch as she ripped you to pieces?" huffed Seth as Momma said "As I was saying, Seth leapt in front of Jacob taking the beating meant for him. I broke his shoulder; at least you didn't actually hurt anyone. Relax and just know that we are here to help." She returned my kiss before handing me Juriel; I received my son, marvelling at his perfection as his warm weight settled into my arms, I smiled over my son at Momma as Daddy joined her, his eyes clouded and his brow furrowed. I looked around and cleared my throat before saying "Jacob and I have decided on a name for our gorgeous little man and we also have a rather important question for one of you. Now this isn't saying that this person is more important to us than anyone else, it just seemed fitting." Backing into Jake's arms I breathed in his unique scent feeling him squeeze my shoulder encouragingly before I continued. "We wanted to try and incorporate the names of the important men in our lives into a name for this little man but I had trouble coming up with anything that didn't sound like dribble. I thought of two names that I really liked and Jake and I decided on calling him Juriel, Juriel William Black."

A great deal of chattering and laughing broke through the front yard as our family voiced their approval over the name we had decided on and this buoyed my spirits for the second part of the announcement; so taking another breath I moved away from Jacob, noting that as I did this everyone tensed and Seth moved to protect Hayley from any sudden moves I might make. I blinked the sudden tears from my eyes as I crossed the yard to Alice and handed her the baby. "Alice, Jake and I would like to know if you would consent to being Juriels' Godmother." I watched silently for a full minute as Alice stared between Juriel, Jacob and me before she spoke, her voice sounding gruff with emotion "I couldn't think of any reason for me to say no to the beautiful position you are asking me to hold. Thank you for thinking of me." Her hug was expected but the thing that wasn't expected was the words she whispered in my ear "He is perfect and his future is blindingly bright. You wait until you see what he is capable of." As she pulled away and moved to hug Jacob I couldn't help but wonder about the future she was seeing but the fact that she was seeing a future meant that he at least had one and that the Volturi couldn't hurt him.

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><p><strong>Please Review<strong>

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	34. Mirror Mirror On The Wall

**I own only the plot :)**

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><p>CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR<p>

Magic Mirror on the Wall…

I was slightly worried that my life was mirroring my parents but the fact that we were all around for it to feel like déjà vu was a good thing. Juriel was a happy baby and I was relieved that he wasn't growing as rapidly as I had, something that Carlisle seemed disappointed about, but he was kept busy by the other things Juriel seemed to be doing. Juriel may not have been growing as quickly but his talents sure were. The days following turned into a blur as Carlisle ran the test he needed to on Juriel and we waited to see what would happen with him. He was measured twice a day, morning and night (something I had a vague recollection about) and we found out rather quickly that he was just like Jake when it came to food; he loved every human food we gave him. I refused to offer him blood because for all intents and purposes he was human and when or if the werewolf gene was triggered than he could hunt. His genetic make-up was identical to mine and Jacob's, he had twenty-five chromosomal pairs, his other gift had seemed to lessen as he grew and we noticed that he had to be really upset or really close to someone for it to take effect (something I was relieved about).

Of course we were all excited to see his bond with Alice. He rarely had to make a sound in the first few days because the minute he wanted something Alice was there to give it to him, sometimes it got on my nerves but most of the time I thought it was cute. Carlisle had thought that as the time passed the bond would lessen but I think that the cosmos had something of a wry sense of humour, give the child of a werewolf an unbreakable bond with those he is supposed to hate and maybe things will change. As far as Alice went, some of her laughter came back as she played with the baby, she seemed less guarded.

Alice was holding Juriel, as we all sat talking about our next move concerning the Volturi, she suddenly went rigid all but dropping Juriel onto the thick carpet at our feet. I watched as Daddy reached for him, catching him before he hit the floor but freezing as whatever Alice had seen entered his mind and by the look of whatever she had seen it wasn't pleasant. I heard her sob in pain, Jacob moved to my side and wrapped a shaking arm around Juriel and I; he whispered in my ear "It's gonna be okay Ness, Carlisle will fix her." but as his words ended Carlisle shot a perplexed look towards Daddy saying "Edward what is it that she is seeing?" Daddy had fallen to his knees behind Carlisle, his head held in the palms of his cold hands. He shook his head and whispered "Renesmee take the boy outside, now!" I flinched at the harshness in his normally soothing voice but didn't even think about disobeying him. I took off at a run, cradling my week old child to my breast, with my husband following closely. We ran towards our special place and I felt certain that whatever they had both seen was nothing good and had more to do with Juriel than they were capable of telling me, slowing my pace to a human walk I crossed the small clearing towards the flat rock that sat beside the calm water. I spread the blanket that was wrapped around Juriel onto the sun-dappled surface of the rock before laying him down in the sunlight. Turning towards Jacob I found him standing just inside the green wall of our secluded spot, staring at Juriel with a mingled look of love and fear. "Jake what's the matter?" I asked as I folded myself down on the rock beside the sleeping baby. Jake crossed towards us more slowly and warily than I had ever seen him move and as he reached my side he said "I was worrying that whatever was happening to Alice was somehow his fault."

Narrowing my eyes, my voice a deceptive calm, I said "How is our day old son responsible?" looking at him with barely concealed anger. Jakes' shoulders dropped and he said "Don't get angry Ness, I was just thinking that we don't know what his powers are and he is only a baby so he doesn't know how to control them so maybe he did something, I mean your Dad seemed pretty eager to get him out of the house. If it wasn't him why would Edward demand we take him away?" I heard myself growl low in the back of my throat as I shifted my body into a protective crouch, I felt a bone deep chill as my brain betrayed me and whispered '_What if he is right?'_ I shook my head, either to deny Jacob's words or to rid my head of the thought that my son was dangerous I wasn't sure. "No, he isn't the reason, Jake look at him." I snapped pointing a finger towards our sleeping son "How can it be that someone so little and so innocent is behind whatever Alice saw?" Jake moved towards me slowly, his dark eyes wary as they slid between my protective stance and our sleeping son. His answer was slow in coming and when it did I relaxed my stance "Honey I can't believe he is responsible but we can't ignore the fact that we don't know what he is capable of." He closed the small space that separated us and wrapped a comforting arm around my middle, turning us towards Juriel. We stood staring down at him as he slept the peaceful untroubled dreams of baby's, stretching in his sleep before settling again but before I could reply there was a thrumming noise as my phone vibrated within the confines of my jeans. I dug it out and flicked it open saying "Can we come back yet?" Mommas' tense voice sounded down the line "Sure honey you can come back. We need to talk." I cringed at the worry that her voice held. I closed the phone without saying goodbye and turned to Jake "They want us to come back." I bent to gather Juriel into my arms but Jacob beat me to it "I've got him. Just don't go to far from me." he said and I nodded burying my apprehension deeply within my soul as I followed him back to my family.

I could sense the tension, it swept in waves from the house, as we mounted the stairs in the front of the house, I looked over into the sleeping face of my son and I felt a painful tug in my heart as I thought of his involvement in Alice's pain. I held my arms out for Juriel and Jacob placed him into them. I hugged him tighter to my breast when I realised that there was an eerie silence that was coming from the lounge where we had left the rest of our family. I followed Jake into the room but stopped closer to the door than I would normally have done when it came to my family, I wanted a quick escape if it came down to that. Not that, if I was to run, I would escape from the hunters that made up my family. I sought out my mother and father with my eyes and as my thoughts registered with my father a small frown marred his smooth brow. He looked away from me towards Carlisle, cocking his head towards me; I glanced at Carlisle when he moved towards me. Daddy's voice was overly sharp when he said "Relax Renesmee he isn't going to snatch the baby from you. Carlisle actually has some ideas as to what he has to do with all this." A low moan from the area of the couch had my eyes swinging towards Alice. "Are you okay Alice?" She nodded before saying "Ness, it wasn't his fault but he definitely had something to do with it." I nodded but reflexively tightened my grip on Juriel when Carlisle walked closer. I shuddered as I thought about handing my newborn son over to someone else; Jacob huffed out a breath and hoisted Juriel out of my grip, handing him quickly to Carlisle. I squawked in surprise but my effort to follow was stopped by Jake's strong arms wrapping themselves around my body, forcibly keeping me against him. I struggled but I knew it was pointless to fight against the mountain of strength that made up my husband. Jerking my head I looked back towards Alice and said "What do you think he has to do with this?" Jasper bared his teeth in anger at the hostility in my voice but he remained at Alice's side with a gentle hand on her shoulder. Alice swallowed an unnecessary breath and said "Do you remember that I told you that when I saw his future it was exceedingly bright?" I nodded but remained silent, I was too busy watching Carlisle as he examined Juriel, so I indicated that she should continue which she did after a quick look to see what Carlisle was doing.

"What I see when I look into his future is everything." The wonder in her tone had my head swivelling toward her. I didn't really understand what she was saying and thankfully I wasn't the only one because Jake and Emmett said simultaneously "What does that mean?" Daddy laughed and said "What Alice is trying to say is that Juriel has amazing abilities. I saw what she did and I can tell you that he is awesomely talented, he seems to be quite a mixture of all of our talents." I shook my head and said "I still don't understand what this has to do with what happened to Alice." Jake kissed the top of my head and said "I think they're getting to that. Maybe they could get to it sooner." Daddy chuckled but Alice whispered "He seems to be able to magnify the abilities of other vampires, when he wants, and he can also nullify them. As to his wolf heritage, Juriel will make a fine leader for his pack but he seems to hesitate to take on the role; remind you of anyone?" I sniggered as Jake flushed red and hung his head but my merriment was short lived "Okay so he magnifies our abilities, like Jazz does with feelings and emotions, how does this end up with you in agony?" Alice sighed and closed her eyes briefly before continuing her story as though I hadn't interrupted. "His talents don't end with his ability to magnify other vampiric abilities and he is also quite adept at channelling his emotions. What happened before was his talent asserting itself. He had wind and the pain and discomfort it was causing him was channelled and magnified and because I am so connected to him I felt it worse than I would have if it had've been Edward who had heard the pain."

I stared incredulously at the faces of the people that surrounded me. I didn't know how to respond to the news my child was so special and deep down I was kind of sad that he had these abilities; I couldn't complain about my life because my family are fantastic but my childhood had been all about learning to control the gift I had been born with and a part of my brain whispered it loudly now within my subconscious. Poor Juriel was going to have to monitor himself so much and when you have to do that all the time your childhood feels like one long exam. Jake squeezed my shoulder and kissed the top of my head before he spoke quietly into the silent room "How much will this affect him? I mean if he doesn't grow as quickly as Nessie, or grasp things as quickly as she does, how will we control it?" I looked in askance at the people staring back at us, they had never failed in providing me with answers to questions that I had, but it seemed that this time was going to be the first. Silence rang out as everyone looked from person to person, hoping that one of them could answer the questions we had. It was Carlisle that spoke first "Juriel may not be growing as quickly as Renesmee did, both a blessing and a curse, but all indications are that he will grow faster than a normal baby." I nodded and said "I noticed that he seems bigger than the pictures of Sam and Emily's boys at his age." Carlisle nodded and said "I noticed his growth but because it wasn't as drastic as yours was I decided to wait and see before drawing alarm from you both." I smiled weakly and Jake said "Thanks Doc but we really need to know what is happening, so if there is anything else that any of you have noticed about him can you please just come out and say it. If we have an advance knowledge of the problem maybe we can cut it off before it becomes to serious."

Jasper cleared his throat and in his calming voice said "I cannot get a handle on his moods, it is like he is blocking me. I initially put this down to his being a baby but even when you were little my abilities worked on you." Scratching my head, where a headache threatened to blossom, I waited for the next person to speak and I wasn't at all surprised when it was Daddy. "His nullified your powers, he senses your power and obviously didn't want you to control his emotions not that he knows what his doing. I can't get an accurate fix on his thoughts, your mother is a total blank unless she lifts her shield and the only other person that I have encountered with a partial block, where I can get a sense of their emotions and sometimes their thoughts, is Charlie. I figured his mental muteness is hereditary and not a problem. As far as his other talents; and Carlisle agrees with me, they are obviously tweaks on our powers and his own unique gift of being able to magnify everyone's powers. When your mother holds him everyone is mute, I can't hear the person standing closest to her, which is nice. When you hold him your ability is doubled, case in point in Italy when Antoinette could hear what you had said to him. I seriously think that the best way to handle his growth and powers is to just wait and see. Before you go and get all huffy Ness (he had seen that I had been about to have an anger burst) your mother and I had to wait and see what happened with you as well, we know exactly how much of a blessing and a curse it can be. As a parent you want your child to be safe and happy and normal, okay so Juriel isn't 'normal' so what; what he is will be so much better than normal and he will bring you as much joy as you have brought us." I smiled but I could tell that it didn't blossom into a genuine one; I was way too stressed for that. "Sure, I know what you mean I just… I'm just… I'm scared.

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><p><strong>Hmm he's a different thing all together ;)<strong>

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	35. Time Has A Way Of Moving On

**I only own the plot :)**

**This is the send to last chapter.**

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><p>Chapter Thirty-Five<p>

Time Has A Way of Moving On

Before I knew it a month had passed since Juriels' birth and I found myself struggling a little with being a new mother and a new wife. Jake went back to work and my parents back to school. Everyone seemed to be able to get back to their normal lives except me, and I found myself feeling annoyed about it. As Carlisle had predicted Juriel had grown faster than a normal child, he was already the size of a six month old and he was already starting to try and crawl. He could say 'Momma' and 'Dada' and even his own version of Alice. He had the darkest curls, almost blue/black, that sprung from his head and his eyes were a clear hazel, which I had wondered about until Carlisle pointed out that Daddy's eyes had been green. He had most of his teeth but like most month old children he rarely slept longer than 3-4 hours at a time. I loved hugging his solid little form but he seemed determined to be free and would wiggle against the affection; unless it was Alice, than he would snuggle for a little longer.

I was hanging, what felt like my hundredth, load of washing on the line while Juriel stood hanging onto the side of his playpen, bouncing up and down and calling out to me when he suddenly said "Roe" before giggling to himself at his own cleverness. I turned to see what he had seen and was surprised to see Rosalie walking slowly toward his playpen. A queer feeling fluttered within my stomach as she neared him, I dropped the small suit I had been in the process of hanging out and walked towards them "Hey Rose, what's up?" I had known something was off with Rose for weeks now because she avoided Juriel and she rarely even acknowledged him. Rose jumped as if she hadn't heard me before pasting a hasty, if not fake, smile onto her gorgeous face. "Hey Nessie, um, nothing's wrong… I was just… I thought… it's just." She sighed deeply before trying again "Em and I are going away. I've come to say goodbye." I smile gently and walked closer to her, extending my arms I hugged her closer, "For how long this time?" I wasn't really concerned because Emmett and Rose were always taking off for parts unknown on vacation. But as Rose spoke I felt shock freeze me to the spot "No, Ness, you don't understand. We're going away, forever, we're not coming back." She shot Juriel another curious look before dropping her gaze and sucking in a deep breath. I stumbled over my words as I tried to sort out what she had just said "What do you mean 'forever'?" She cleared her throat and said, waving her hand vaguely, "Just what I said, I can't deal with all this anymore." I nodded my head as if I understood but I asked "I'm not sure what you mean by 'all this', I mean I know that with the Volturi attack, the rescue, the following attack and Juriels' arrival that it's been a little hectic around here but when has it ever been anything but hectic?" I laughed nervously and waited for her to join in but it was when she didn't that I realised that she was serious, they were leaving and never coming back.

"You can't leave, we're family. You can't just take off, where would you go?" Rose raised one perfectly waxed saying "We have always gone off on our own. We don't need to be surrounded by everyone like you guys seem to. Besides that we, I mean me, need some space away, some time to think and we can't do it here." Something in her tone put me on the defensive and I felt anger bubbling within me. "What is your problem _Aunt_ Rose?" I put plenty of emphasis on the moniker because something just wasn't adding up. I watched Rose's face contort with rage and I braced myself for the anger I could see shining within her eyes and when it broke I think it even surprised her. Her voice rose to a shrill shriek, the veins in her neck standing out, as she yelled "That's the exact problem, I am not your Aunt. Vampires can't have children, not normal ones anyway, and this whole situation has become screwed up. Ever since your mother turned up on the scene everything has been wrong. She has gotten the one thing that I have ever wanted, a child of her own, but I got over that because I saw you as an opportunity to have a child I could love and adore, and I do. Then that Mutt went and ruined it by imprinting on you, I lost you before I even had you. Then suddenly you're this grown up and besides having vampire parents you were partially human, then lo and behold you end up pregnant.

I was fine with eternal existence when I knew that the people around me were in the same boat, never moving forward always stuck in the moment we died, I mean yeah I'm beautiful but it doesn't make up for what I've lost. I can never grow old with Emmett; we can never have children and live a happy normal life. I swear that's all I wanted. Staying here around… I can't handle the fact that my life is never going to change. Sorry, bye Nessie." I watched in confused anger as she stalked away from me and into the forest and out of our lives. It took my brain several seconds to kick into gear and when it did I dug my cell out of my pocket and hit speed dial. Within seconds I heard Momma's voice floating down the line and everything that had just happened came flying out of my mouth, I had just reached the part where she had walked away when another voice came down the line "Renesmee we'll be there as soon as possible, call Jake, I'll convince Rosalie to have a family meeting." I ended the call and dialled Jake, he promised to be there as soon as he could. I gathered Juriel into my arms and snatching up his diaper bag I raced towards the family home.

I reached the edge of the clearing before I was intercepted and Juriel was taken from my arms. "Thanks Alice, he is getting so heavy but if he keeps progressing he'll be running around here on his own and bugging y'all in no time." My humour fell flat because my heart was breaking and Alice knew it. We walked into the house and the tension was palpable I reached out with my senses to check who had made it back and I was kind of surprised that everybody but Jake was waiting in the living room. We had barely made it over the threshold when Jake's bike roared to a stop within the yard. He kicked out the stand and rushed up the steps to gather me within his arms "It's all gonna be okay Ness, I'll fix it." I chuckled dryly and said "Jake I don't think you'll be able fix this" before gripping his hand tighter and following Alice.

We crossed into the living room (which seemed an ironic name for the room considering that eight out of the eleven occupants were dead) and Jacob and I sat in the chairs closest to the door. Momma held out her arms for Juriel and Alice handed him over without a fight and sat beside Jasper. Emmett and Rose were standing on the far right of the room while the rest of us were gathered into a semi-circle facing them. Silence reigned as we waited for someone to speak. Unsurprisingly it was Carlisle, my eyes followed his tight pacing, as he spoke "You all know why we're here and I think that everyone present would like to stop it from happening" a small snort from Momma had my eyes widening and my jaw dropping as she said "Let them go. If family means so little to them then why force them to stay. I mean I am a little biased here considering Rosalie told my daughter that it was basically my fault." I watched as Daddy placed a soothing hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to calm down enough to listen to what Carlisle had to say. Rosalie snarled in the back of her throat, a deep warning sound, but Em beat her to it "It's not that she, we, blame anyone for this it's just that Rose feels she needs time away and were Rose goes I go, we belong together." I felt a shaft of pain dart through me, one that didn't come from my emotions, so I looked to Jasper who had a pained look of loss on his face. He saw me watching and smoothed his features into a blank mask, something I'm sure he had learned long before meeting our family. Carlisle spoke, his strong soothing tone moving through the room like a hug "We understand that Em but what we are all wondering is why it wasn't brought to the light before now."

Rose snorted ineloquently saying "When exactly would have been the right time hmm? When the Volturi attacked? When we were moving every couple of months? When the wolves were taken? When we saved them and Alice got hurt and Renesmee lay in a coma, or maybe as we fought against the Volturi again and Renesmee was in labour? When was there time?" I sat agog at the amount of resentment in that statement which rendered me unable to say anything luckily, or unluckily, Daddy wasn't struck with the same muteness "Rose that is crap, you have had more than enough time in the last six years to bail and you never. Your anger is bogus. Why don't you tell us what is the real reason behind your sudden desire to pack up and leave" I felt like I was watching a game of tennis as Rose and Daddy had a mental argument an argument which Rose lost. "Fine, I'll tell you. I can't stand this; I can't stand having everything I have ever wanted, in both my mortal and immortal, life. Every time I look at that boy I fell robbed and I can't deal anymore." She looked apologetically at both Jacob and I before saying "I am sorry but he reminds me of someone from my life before and I can't get past that. I can't stay here and watch him grow knowing that I won't have what you have. We're not discussing this; Emmett and I are leaving within the hour."

Getting up from my seat I moved to stand in front of her and shaking my head I said "You are seriously going to break up our family over your jealousy? I can't believe it, how the hell does that make sense? Juriel is a baby! None of this is his fault. Did you hear what he said when you turned up today? He said Roe, that's you. He loves you unconditionally but you can't get over the loss of a child you never had to love him back. Esme buried a child but do you see her ignoring Juriel?" I felt myself practically spitting the words at Rosalie. I was so distracted by my anger that I didn't see the slap until the sound rung within the room. I stumbled back, holding a hand against my stinging cheek. I tasted the coppery-tang of blood as it seeped into my mouth. A shocked silence rang within the room as everyone absorbed what had just happened but just as suddenly the room erupted. Jake growled and launched himself at Rosalie, phasing in mind leap; Emmett threw himself between Jake and Rosalie. Momma grabbed Juriel and raced as far away from the fight as possible. Jasper, Carlisle and Daddy all threw themselves into the fray trying to stop anybody getting hurt. It lasted less time than it took to change a channel on the T.V but it rent apart something that was essential within our family. I backed up against the wall, cradling my throbbing cheek in my hand, watching as Jake phased back and Rosalie crossed the room, kissed Esme and Carlisle's cheek before stalking from the room and leaving us wishing that it could've been different.

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><p><strong>hmm Rose is a little self centred (nothing new) and she is tearing the family apart.<strong>

**Please Review **

**Cherie**

**xxx**


	36. Chapter CompleteMaybe

**Last chapter for this story.**

**I own nothing but the plot :)**

**Thanks for reading **

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><p>Chapter Thirty-Six<p>

Chapter Complete… Maybe

A small sob from Alice broke the deafening silence that had descended after Rosalie and Emmett had left, Jasper moved and wrapped loving arms around her, hugging her tightly to his side. Jake walked over to Momma and gently removed a sleeping Juriel from her arms. He seemed totally unaware of what had happened to our family. I felt my eyes well as the fact that it was basically my fault that my family had fallen apart and all I really wanted to do was take everything back, my entire life, just so that everyone could go back to normal. Esme, who had been sobbing tearlessly, came and stood beside me. She held me close and said "I am telling you, and you will listen to me, this is not your fault. Something within Rosalie prevented her from being able to let go of the life she desperately wanted while she was alive. Nothing has been what she has wanted and it frustrates her, ever since she realised Edward could love and that he loved Bella something broke and she hasn't been able to fix it. She thought she could with you but that kind of back-fired because it offered her something she wanted but when Jacob and Edward saved Bella she lost her chance to become a mother, not that she didn't, doesn't, love you she just wanted you all to herself but that didn't happen because of Jacob. This is all on Rose; and Emmett loves her completely even though he doesn't understand her need. He remembers being human but he lived an uncomplicated life and he had never felt love the way he did when he opened his eyes and saw Rosalie." I felt my chin wobble as I tried to stop myself from crying, I clenched my teeth together tightly and just nodded my head; she gave me another hug before crossing the room and losing herself in Carlisle embrace.

Jacob was pacing wildly back and forth swearing under his breath while he rocked our sleeping child within his arms. The sight of the two of them standing in the middle of the room had me snapping back to my senses; these two people depended on me, Jacob for love and companionship and Juriel for love, normality and stability. I sucked in a calming breath before saying "I'm so sorry about all of this, I hate that this is how my presence in your lives has affected you." I crossed to Jacob and touched his bare arm and thought '_I wanna go home' _before hoisting Juriel from his arms and walking out of the house without another word, I needed some space to think through my feelings and I needed those thoughts to be private. I heard my mother as we walked out the front door "Leave her Edward, she's in pain and she needs time."

Jake kissed me fully before guiding me down the front stairs and through the woods to our tiny cottage. As we walked through the front door we noticed the light on the answering machine blinking. I nodded my head toward the machine and said "I'm gonna go put the baby down and then we'll talk about what happened today." Juriel and I walked up the hallway and into the pale blue nursery where his large oak cot sat in the middle of the room. I lowered his warm baby body down onto the mattress; I leant over, moved his thick dark curls and kissed his forehead, smelling his sweet baby scent. I stood watching Juriel sleep as I listened to Jacob returning the missed call. I moved to the tallboy against the wall and switched the small musical figurine, the one that sat on the top of the tallboy, on; trying to block out Jacobs' conversation. I didn't need any more bombshells today and from the tone of Jake's voice it wasn't good.

I heard Jake cradle the receiver and come up the hallway, he stopped at the doorway to Juriels' room and I saw the lines of stress that bracketed his eyes and mouth. I sucked in a deep breath and asked "What's the matter? Who was that on the phone?" Jacob came toward me before deviating at the last second and bending over our sleeping son, inhaling his unique smell before he spoke. "It was Sam, there's trouble with the tribe." His tone was grave tinged liberally with anger and a little fear. Closing my eyes against the emotional headache I could feel coming, I asked "What's happening?" while dreading the answer because I knew that it would complicate our already complicated lives "Vampires, Apparently a few of them have decided to make our lands their feeding grounds. Sam said that even with all our wolves we are having trouble capturing them and they are scared for the tribe. They want us to go home and help out, if that's ok."

My breath shuddered from my body, this wasn't what we needed on top of all that had happened today with Rosalie but it was happening and we needed to deal with it. I looked from Jake's angry face to that of our son and knew deep within my body that he deserved to be brought up in an environment were his heritage was lauded and he wasn't resented. I moved slowly across the room and hooked my arms around Jake's waist, tilting my head back I looked into his handsome face and said "Let me make a call." When he nodded without asking anything I knew that we were going to be okay, that life, as strange and abnormal as it had been, was going to be okay and that we were going to make it.

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><p><strong>Thanks again for reading and please review<strong>

**Cherie**

**xxx**


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